How He Became More Than Just Her King
by jellyfish137
Summary: This is the story about how Ishwari Ghale fell in love with the man she was sent to spy on, Pagan Min, the king of Kyrat.
1. Chapters 1-11

Chapter 1

"War is no place for women." All Ishwari could think about was what her husband thought about her, and not just her, but all women in general. In his mind, women were better kept at home cleaning and cooking meals for the men, and she hated it. She didn't like the thought of her only use in life was to make her husband happy and bare him children. She felt that anything so called "men" could do, she had the ability to do the same. For months she had asked her spouse Mohan to let her do some good in helping reclaim their stolen country for the usurper who went by the name Pagan Min.

Kyrat was already in bad shape before Pagan made his appearance, being in a civil war between the Nationalists and the Royalists. The Royalists supported the reign of a king, while the Nationalists wanted to overthrow the monarchy. Near the end it seemed as if the Nationalists were going to win, but the Royalists made an alliance with Pagan Min, who at the time seemed to have good intentions. With him, Pagan brought a distant heir to the throne and a small army that belonged to him personally, one he had created with the small fortune he owned. With Pagans help the Royalist defeated the Nationalists and victory was their's, but the joy soon turned to shock. When their guard was down, Pagan's army started slaughtering everyone in the palace, and the only heir to the throne had his life taken away from him by Pagan Min himself. Before they knew what happened, Kyrat was now ruled by a merciless dictator.

In hopes of recovering the poached throne, the Golden Path was formed by Mohan Ghale, hero of Kyrat and husband of the Taruan Matara. Ishwari was proud to be married to someone who carried such a big name to her country, and she herself also carried a big name as the Tauran Matara, goddess on earth and an embodiment of the land. Though people wouldn't recognized her now, since she was forced to go into hiding due to the war. She was in even more danger now that Pagan was in charge for he outlawed religion and her, being a religious figure herself would be executed right away if she was discovered. But that name was behind her, now she was just Ishwari, wife to Mohan and mother to their son Ajay.

Ishwari longed for adventure. If there was one thing that scared her, it was that all her life she would be staying in or around the house, being nothing more than a typical house wife. She wanted to see the world, go places, do great things. The closest thing she had to seeing the world was the books she collected. She loved to read and was exceptionally well at being a teacher to herself. She knew all about different countries around the world. She wanted action, danger, and excitement. Every time she finished reading about a new country, she would tell her husband all about it, though he didn't seem all that interested. Most of the time he'd just grunt and nod as if he actually heard a word she had just said.

Ishwari finally got the courage to start asking Mohan to let her go out and fight for the cause. She would ask him to let her do supply drops, cargo deliveries, or just protect outposts. Every time she brought it up, she would always get the same answer, and then a long speech about how it's against Kyrati tradition for women to fight. They would get into long arguments about it. They would get very frustrated with each other to the point Mohan would storm out of the house and disappear for hours at a time. Eventually Ishwari's constant persisting on helping the Golden Path reached Mohan and he decided to send her to the palace, into the tiger's den, as a spy to get whatever intelligence she could get her hands on to help in the war. He had only done this in hope that Ishwari would see the horrors of the world she so desperately wanted to be a part of.

Chapter 2

Ishwari walked down the dusty road, with baby Ajay on her back, proclating on how she was going convince them to let her in the palace. She was against bringing Ajay with her, not wanting to put her child in danger, but Mohan insisted that she bring him, saying it would help with her story. Her feet ached, she had already walked at least eight or nine miles, but on the plus side she was very close to the royal fortress. Mohan had one of the Golden Path members drop her off about ten miles from the fortress and made her walk the rest of the way, wanting her to be tired and as convincing as possible. Normally a walk like that wouldn't had bothered her in the slightest, but having a fussing, twenty pound baby strapped to her back made it tough.

She wanted to feel relieved when she saw the fortress gates come into sight in the distance, but she was far too nervous to feel appeased. She had fear that they would either not care a word of what she had to say, or they would see through her disguise and kill her and her son on sight. She paused for a moment to take a few deep breaths and work up the nerve to continue up the road, towards the big blue doors. "This is your moment, Ishwari. Prove to Mohan that you are not just some woman for him to do as he pleases" she quietly said to herself.

She made it within forty feet of the doors before she heard a guard yell at her telling her to stop and put her hands in the air. She quickly abided, and raised both hands up. Two guards walked up to her, one holding a gun steadily aimed at her, while the other patted her down for weapons. After discovering she was unarmed, they started questioning her.

"What business do you have here?" the guard who had just finished searching her asked.

Ishwari replied with a look of determination on her face "I come to seek shelter from my king. I have very little food and I am in need of a place to stay from the weather and predators. I only want my son to be safe."

Both guards began to chuckle, before the one responded "And what makes you think King Min will grant you shelter? You appear to be a nobody, what would he want with someone like you?"

Ishwari, still determined to convince them to give her a chance quickly answered. "I don't need a lot, in return I will do anything he asks of me. I am a fairly decent cook and I can clean. Even if I'm just a servant, just so long as I know my son is taken care of."

The guard who had been asking the questions got a somewhat scary smile on his face. "Well, truth be told I think the king recently had two of his servants executed for not doing something the way he had asked it to be done, so I believe there may be an opening for you. I tell you what, I'll send word to the palace and see if they need help. If they don't I'm sure some of my men down here will be willing to take care of you." He licked his lips in a wicked way.

Ishwari felt a shiver go down her spine as she nodded in agreement and she prayed that a good word would come back. They led her through the blue doors and into the first building on the right. She was asked to take a seat in the chair at the small wooden table, and she without hesitation obliged, sitting her son on her lap. The armed guard, remained in the room with her, not saying a word. After what seemed an eternity, the guard who seemed to be in charge returned.

"Well it seems I have some good news for you. Turns out they do need so help so they've agreed to grant you a job as a maid, and in return they will give you shelter with all the other servants, in the cabin they reside in." He informed her "If you come this way, I'll have one of my men drive you up to the palace."

Feeling very relieved, Ishwari proceeded to follow the guard to a red jeep and she climbed in. The guard who had just interrogated her leaned in close and spoke. "Word of advice, if you are told to do something, listen very close to the details of what is being asked and do everything with utmost perfection. King Min does not settle for anything less than the best. I've seen him kill countless of his men, just because they weren't able to live up to his standards. Also, for your sake I hope you have a quiet baby, because chances are the king hates crying brats." He chuckled as he shut the door behind her, and she watched the man in anguish as the car started to drive forward.

Chapter 3

The drive up to the palace was a long one. The driver was very quiet and never said a word, which in a way Ishwari was grateful, because it gave her time to think. She watched out the window at the scenery, discontented with the destroyed statues of worship of her people. She knew that the king hated their religious ways, but was it necessary for him to destroy her fellow Kyrati heritage? She soon recollected her thoughts and told herself that she should not worry about that now, all that mattered is that she obtained as much intel as possible. Mohan had forbidden her to return until the war was won, so she was intent on doing the best possible job she could.

Before she knew it, the car had come to a stop and the driver urged her out of the vehicle. She stepped out holding on to Ajay and walked toward the palace to see a woman, who appeared to be in her late twenties, wearing red pants with black shoes, and a white blouse, whom of which greeted her.

"So you must be our new maid! Thank heavens you've come, there used to be four of us, but unfortunately we recently lost two, so with just Augie and myself, it's been hard to keep up with the work. I'm the head maid, my name is Shanna and I will be the one who will show you around. And your name is?" She asked

"Oh yes, my name is Ishwari, and this here is my son Ajay. I hope I can be of help. I am so grateful to be able to work here in the palace" Ishwari answered her.

"Well, we're grateful to have you. Now if you just follow me I'll show you to the servant cabin, it's a little too late today to show you around the palace, most of the work has already been done, so you will be starting tomorrow" Shanna said as she started walking around to the back side of the palace and up a small path. "All maids are to be awake and ready to begin cleaning by seven every morning. We work until five every evening. Normally we have so much to do, being how big the palace is, so I usually only allow one hour break, but since you have a son you will probably need more time won't you?"

Ishwari spoke "Ajay is usually a quiet baby who isn't a handful, as long as he's fed and changed he's happy."

Shanna looked back at Ishwari thinking "hmm, well I suppose you could split your hour up into fifteen minute intervals or something like that. As long as you manage to get all your work done before five, I won't complain."

"That sounds manageable" Ishwari said with a smile.

Shanna nodded and held her arms out, pointing to their accommodation "Well here we are. It's not much, but we're not really in a position to complain. Over there is the outhouse and that small building next to it is the bath house. This right here is the main cabin" she said as she opened the door and allowed Ishwari to enter.

It was nothing more than a medium sized room with eight beds and a small dresser next to each one. On one of the beds there sat a woman, who's hair was up in a bun, and was playing some sort of a card game.

"Ishwari this here is the other maid I mentioned before, Augie. Augie, this here is our new maid, Ishwari and the small child she has attached to her back is Ajay." Shanna said acquainting the two women.

Augie slightly looked up and nodded at them acknowledging their presence.

"She takes some time to warm up to" Shanna laughed. "Now obviously the bed Augie is on is hers, and that one over there in the corner belongs to me. The one next to mine belongs to Laqueta and the one next to that Eldora. They're the woman in charge of setting the dinning room for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Finally the bed on that end belongs to Everest the head chef. Neither of them are here right now because they are currently preparing dinner for the king. We eat after he finishes and they will bring us what ever is left over. But aside from that you may choose any of the empty beds as your own. You may want to go ahead and get settled, because you will have a busy day tomorrow"

Ishwari nods and heads to a vacant bed and lays Ajay on it. She grabs the bag she had been carrying with her and empties it out. In it contains necessities, such as Ajay's washable diapers, a few rags, a toothbrush, a hair brush, a bottle to hold water in, her notepad, her favorite pen and a book about London she had been reading. She laid the book on the dresser that now belonged to her to keep all of her personals in, and then proceeded to change Ajay. After he was all clean she sat on the bed and leaned up against the wall to begin feeding her hungry child. Ajay must have been as wore out as she was, because he was soon asleep after he had a tummy full of milk. After asking Shanna if she could use one of the spare pillows on the unused bed, she made Ajay a small bed in one of the empty dresser drawers and laid him in it, all wrapped up and snug. She soon walked outside to clean out Ajays previous used diaper and hung it to dry to be used the next day. When she is finally able to return to her bed, she drifts into a deep sleep almost instantly.

Chapter 4

Morning comes faster than she had wanted when she is woke up by Shanna handing her a set of work clothes and informing her she has only, but an hour to get ready. She sits up rubbing her eyes and stretching out, and then turning to check on her infant, who is awake and looking around at his environment. She then notices that there is a small platter of food sitting on the dresser next to her book and looks at Shanna in question.

"Ah yes, like I said Everest usually brings us leftovers from dinner each night. You happened to be asleep by the time he got here, so I just had him sit your food on your dresser, it should still be pretty good if you're hungry." Shanna tell her.

Ishwari nods not denying that she is in fact hungry, it feels like ages since she last ate. She picks up the plate and sits it on her lap, on the plate there is what looks like a slice of roast, some mashed potatoes covered in gravy and a little bit of corn on the side. It's cold, but still tastes very satisfying. She quickly woofs it down not wanting to be late and have to face consequences. As soon as she'd done she quickly changes her son's diaper, feeds him, and washes up his used diaper, so it doesn't smell up the cabin. With some time to spare before seven, she is able to make it to the bath house and brush her teeth, hair, and wash her face.

Once she feels she's ready to officially start this mission she's been sent on, she rushes out to meet Shanna patiently waiting for her outside the cabin.

"Oh good, so you're ready now? I have a lot to show you and I still have to be able to keep a deadline myself, so if you would, lets head on down to the palace."

Ishwari follows Shanna without any hesitation, down towards the huge building in which the king himself lives in. When they finally reach it, there are guards guarding every entrance. Shanna leads Ishwari to a side door, instructing her that door is the servant entrance. When they reach the door, a big man wearing red and black holding a gun stopped them.

Shanna smiled as she began to converse with the man "Hey Taveon, how are you today?"

The man just grunted at her and turned his attention to Ishwari "Who is she?"

"Oh yes, where are my manners? This here is Ishwari, she is the replacement for our recently lost maids." Shanna answered

The heavily armed man nodded at the explanation and let them inside. Once inside, Ishwari was astounded by all the expensive decor that filled the rooms. There were statues that looked like they should belong in important meuseums, very detailed paintings, oriental rugs and curtains, nothing inside looked cheap. She was soon pulled out of her amazement when Shanna started instructing her on the protocol of being a maid.

"There are twelve bedrooms in the palace, each of which has it's own bathroom, three bathrooms that don't have a bedroom to accompany them, a library, a massive sun room, the dinning room and bar, the main lobby, the sitting room, and downstairs is where the washers and dryers are kept, as well as all the cleaning supplies and anything you may need to do your job. We maids are expected to mop every floor, vacuum every carpet, wash every blanket on the bed, dust every shelf, and scrub every bathroom, every day. Essentially if it needs clean, then clean it." Shanna continues walking down a long narrow hallway and then stops at a pair of golden colored double doors. "This is the Kings room, I am the only maid allowed to enter this room, no other maid may clean it, the reason being if anything happens to any of his belongings then I am the only one he can blame. He knows that I am the only one who enters and even when I do, I have to have permission to do so. As long as you follow these rules you should be okay..."should" being the key word."

Ishwari stares at the golden doors, knowing that if there's any intel to be found, it would most likely be in there. "What do I do if the king talks to me?" she asks

Shanna looks over at her and laughs lightly "Chances are he won't. He doesn't usually talk to anybody below him, which in his case is practically everybody. Hell you probably won't even see him, half the time he's not in the palace, he's usually out somewhere on business, and when he is in the palace he stays in his room, only coming out to eat in the dinning room, which isn't often being as he prefers to eat in his room away from everyone. If by some off chance you do see him don't stare and if he does talk to you, I guess all I can say is be polite and answer whatever he asks. But no more of that, we have a lot of work to get done." She takes Ishwari down a hallway with three doors on the right side and two doors on the left. "Here are five of the twelve bedrooms I mentioned. I want you to clean all of them, including the bathrooms, and try to get it done so that you have enough time to mop this hallway floor as well, my advice to you is to wash all the blankets first so that they can be getting clean while you vacuum and dust. If you follow me I'll take you downstairs and show you where everything you'll need is."

Ishwari simply nods and follows Shanna down the hallways to a small staircase that leads below the palace. After seeing where everything is, she gathers all the necessary tools to do her required job and heads back up to the hallway she was instructed to clean. She basically did everything you would expect a maid to do, however with each room she swabbed, she discreetly looked through drawers, searching for anything that she could send back to the Mohan to help in the war, but she found nothing. In a way, she didn't expect to find much of anything, after all, why would they keep important information in random guest rooms. But in her her mind she was at least trying and that was what mattered. She was making pretty good time on getting all of her chores finished, occasionally stopping to feed and change Ajay. She had just finished mopping the hallway when Shanna appeared, surprised at the exceptionally well job her new recruit had done, telling her that it was now time to exit the palace for the day.

They made their way back up to the cabin and instantly Ishwari plopped on the bed the moment she reached it, exhausted from trying to finish all the cleaning within the deadline. She laid there for a while, before deciding that she, as well as her son were in much need of a bath. She grabbed a set of clean night clothes in which she had packed in her bag along with her other items and proceeded to the bath house. She had to wait outside until it opened up, being as Augie happened to reach it before she did. When she was finally able to take her turn, she sank down into the warm water that felt amazing on her aching body. Holding Ajay in one arm, she began to use the rag to wash off the grime that was on both of their bodies. After getting both herself and her boy spruced up, she sat back down on her bed and fed the young Ajay. She was relieved when he had finally fallen asleep and was able to lay him in the bed she had made for him. With some free time finally to herself she began reading the book in which she had brought with her, until Everest, Laqueta, and Eldora arrived with dinner. She ate it as she continued to read her book until eventually she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Chapter 5

The next few of weeks were basically the same routine. Wake up, go to the palace to clean, taking care of a baby periodically through out the day, then head back to the cabin to clean up and get ready for the next day. Ishwari was beginning to feel like a house wife again. She kept trying to figure out how in the world she was going to get close to Pagan Min to obtain some form of intel to send back to her husband. She couldn't even look around the palace for info, since there were guards everywhere, whom would instantly notice if she wasn't where she wasn't supposed to be. All she could do was pray to Kyra that something would go her way.

There was one day during the few weeks, when they were on their way to the palace and there was a young girl with bright pink in her hair, no older than eighteen, shouting orders to a few guards in the courtyard.

"Who was that exactly?" Ishwari leaned in asking Shanna who was walking beside her.

"That was Yuma, the kings younger sister. Though they're not blood related siblings, she was adopted into the kings family when they were young. From what I hear, she apparently has a thing for him, which I find strange." Shanna answered "They say that before long, she's going to be his lieutenant, and command a fraction of his army."

Ishwari didn't really see it as valuable information but it was the only intelligence she was able to provide. After all Mohan had never once mentioned anybody by the name of Yuma during all his war talk. That night Ishwari took out her notepad and wrote down a small note to her husband.

Mohan,

I learned today that Pagan Min has a sister by the name of Yuma. From what I see, the guards respect her, or they may be frightened by her, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. It's said that she will become the lieutenant of Pagan's army. It's not much, but I hope it helps.

Ishwari then followed Mohan's instructions and wrapped the note in some plastic that she snuck out of the supply closet. she found a reasonably good sized stick and tied it around it, and then snuck out to drop it in the small creek that ran from behind the palace down through a few villages. Mohan had told her that sending notes down river would be the best way to keep him updated. He informed her, she was not to write him, unless it was useful information, not wanting to risk being caught any more than she had to. She sat and watched as the note floated down river and she didn't leave until it was no longer in her sight, hoping that it would arrive to its destination smoothly. After it was gone, she returned to get into bed next to her sleeping son and dozed off herself.

Chapter 6

"Get up Ishwari! It's a new day!" Ishwari slowly opened her eyes and looked up to see Shanna talking to her, like she did every morning. Ishwari sat up and did the usual, taking care of the baby and then getting ready herself before strapping the small boy on her back and walking down to the palace to begin her duties.

The day went basically the same as any other day during the month she had been working there. She went to the lower level of the palace to gather all the cleaning chemicals needed to provide a spotless clean environment. Then she would return the same hallway she was appointed to and clean the same rooms she cleaned everyday, and just like always she saved the hall for last.

She had finally made it to her final chore for the day. She always started the hallway by wiping down all the pictures that lined the walls, making sure that none were left with streaks of any kinds. After that she moved onto the next step which was to begin dusting the few wooden tables that sat in the sides and the small figurines that were stationed on them. She was only but halfway through the second table when she heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Instantly she thought to herself that she had somehow lost track of time and that it was Shanna coming to tell her that it was time to head back. Ishwari looked up expecting to see her friend but instead she saw something else.

It was a tall slender man, of asian decent, walking towards her. He had a shaved head, with bleach blonde hair resting on the top. His left ear contained a silver piercing. He wore woman's make-up on his eyes, which brought out the beauteous brown color that they were. He was dressed in a royal blue suit, with a white button up shirt underneath and what looked like genuinely expensive shoes. It was at this moment Ishwari knew who she was looking at. It was the monster, in which she had come to spy on, a monster who against her will, struck her as rather handsome. She soon realized she was staring and quickly looked back at the figure she was dusting. She felt the air of him, as he walked past her and she could smell the scent that came off of him. He was wearing some form of mens cologne that made him that much more attractive. After he passed, Ishwari turned her head slightly to see him walking away, and she realized that he had not even noticed she was there.

Later that night, after she had cleaned up and put Ajay down for the night, she laid in her bed and just thought about what she had saw. It had caught her completely by surprise. The entire month she had been there, never had she once seen Pagan Min. Before she had only seen pictures of him and on the television. It was very much different to actually see him in person, even if it was just for a brief moment. What really bothered her was that he's supposed to be a monster. Monsters, in her definition were scary demons, with fangs and claws, an awful smell, overall horrible to look at. But what she saw was far from awful, he was actually very pleasant to look at. "What kind of monster possesses an image like that?" she asked herself. "No, I can't let his disguise fool me. Attractive or not, he's still the man who killed the true heir to the throne, and took over my homeland, like it belongs to him." She rolled over, rested her head on her pillow and closed her eyes, completely lost in thought.

Chapter 7

The next day wasn't as eventful as the previous one. In a way Ishwari had hoped king Min would walk past her again, but he never did. She wanted to look at him again, thinking that maybe she had just imagined the whole experience and he really did look like a monster, though it was unlikely. What made her even more sick what the fact that she could not get him out of her mind. She told herself that it was because he was her mission and that's why she wanted to think about him, but it wasn't the truth. In reality, she had never seen a more beautiful man, she didn't even think it was physically possible for a man to be beautiful, but Pagan Min proved her wrong.

Five o'clock came faster than she expected, and she headed back to the cabins unsatisfied with that days experience. On the way back she started asking Shanna about the king. "What is King Min like?"

Shanna raised an eyebrow, looking at Ishwari. "umm, I guess he's everything you hear about him, personally I don't know, I've never really spoke with him. Why do you ask?"

Ishwari looked down at the ground "I guess I just want to know more about the man I call King. Is it true he's killed a bunch of people, just because they didn't live up to his standards?"

Shanna then got a look of dismay on her face "From what I have heard, he did kill the heir to the throne himself. He didn't use a gun, no, he says that's not very fun, he gets more amusement out of it if he stabs a person in the throat. They say he enjoys the way warm blood feels on his skin. That's the only person I've heard of him killing himself, everyone one else he's had executed, letting his soldiers do the dirty work. Personally it frightens me, because he could have that done to any of us, at anytime, for any reason."

"I see, as long as we don't get on his bad side or give him a reason we should be fine then?" Ishwari commented looking at Shanna

Shanna looked back at Ishwari, a bit worried. "well I guess you could say that, but you never know with him. For all I know he could have you executed, just because he's in a bad mood and you happen to be in his line of sight at the time. Like I said I've never really talked to him, so I can't say for sure."

Ishwari nodded her head and ended the conversation with that. When they reached their cabin, she told Shanna that she could go ahead and get her bath first, for she wanted to rest on the bed for a few minutes. As she waited for her turn in the bath house, she sat and played with her baby boy, making faces and noises at him, in attempt to get giggles, in which she succeeded. After Shanna had returned, Augie asked if it'd be okay if she was next in which Ishwari said she didn't mind. By the time she finally received her turn the sun was starting to go down. She quickly jumped in the bath and bathed her son and herself. Afterwards she continued with the usual and fed Ajay until he passed out.

Ishwari laid her child in his bed and headed outside to the faucet to clean out his diaper. She was just beginning to hang it on a tree limb when she heard someone, she turned around to see one of Pagan's guards walking towards her.

"Is there a problem, sir?" She politely asked

The guard looked at her, with the same hate that they all seemed to express "Yeah, King Min seems to have made a bit of a mess in his office and he requested that a maid come down and clean it up."

Ishwari's eyes widened "Oh, umm Shanna is asleep right now, I can go wake her up though if I need to"

The guard just stared at her as if she spoke in an unfamiliar language "Aren't you a maid?"

"Yeah, but I..." Ishwari was soon cut off by the man

"It doesn't matter who cleans it, it just needs to be done now"

Not wanting to argue with the man, she followed him without hesitation to the palace. The man led her through the servant entrance and towards the Kings chambers.

"I don't see why you need me to follow you down to the lower level to get what is needed to clean the spill, so I'll just wait here for you to return. Don't take too long, or I'll have to come look for you and you don't want that, understood?" the guard barked at her.

"Yes, sir" Ishwari replied shakily as she hurried down to get some towels and a mop. When she returned the guard stopped her and informed her that the king was still in the room and the spill happened after he threw a glass of scotch across the room, the result of him being in a bad mood, and that it'd be best to get in, get the job done, and get out.

Ishwari turned to face the golden doors, swallowed her fear and knocked. "come in." she heard from inside. She opened the door to find the king sitting at his desk, looking down at a piece of paper with look of concentration on his face. He never even raised his head to look at her, acting as if he was still in the room alone. Ishwari started examining the room looking for the location of the spill. To the right of the room there was a tall book shelf with a bunch of books on it, all of different genres. In the corner there was a brown leather chair with a matching foot rest and a small table with a bottle of scotch and an empty glass. Straight across from her was another set of double doors, most likely where his bed resided. She then looked over to the other side of the room where pagan sat at his large oak wood desk, it was then Ishwari noticed a liquid running down the wall to the left of Min, on which the same wall hung a rather large picture of some familiar gothic buildings.

"London?" Ishwari unknowingly whispered to herself

"Excuse me?"

Iswari turned to find the emensily attractive man looking at her. He had on maroon suit pants and another white button up shirt, the blazer that matched his pants hanging on the chair he sat in. She felt her face slightly turning red at the kings glare and quickly apologized "I'm sorry your highness, I was just talking to myself. I'll get to work on that spill." She started walking towards spot on the wall that was covered in the scotch and she felt his eyes follow her as she did. She did her best to ignore what had just happened, with her back facing him she wasn't sure, but she felt like he was still watching her. After a minute of wiping the wall down, she heard him speak.

"Do you know anything about London?"

She was a bit startled that he actually spoke to her, and wasn't sure if it should be considered a good thing or a bad thing. Knowing it would be incredibly rude to ignore him, she slowly turned around to look at him. "I...I've read a few books about it."

He just continued to look at her before saying "hmm" and looking back down at his work.

She got a feeling inside of her, when he spoke out to her. A feeling she had felt before, every time Mohan talked to her, when they first fell in love. She couldn't understand it, but she wanted to hear his voice again. "Have you ever been there?" She waited for a reply, but he just continued staring down at his desk, as if he didn't hear her. She was about to turn back around to continue scrubbing when he spoke once more.

"I actually attended school there...at least until I was sixteen, then I moved back to Hong Kong, where I'm originally from" not once looking up from his desk. "That picture you're currently cleaning is an image of the school I went to."

Ishwari turned back to examine the picture more thoroughly, continuing to wipe the wall as she did. "Did you enjoy it there?"

"I enjoyed being away from my father more than anything, but yes, it was a pleasant place to be." He replied

"There are so many places I'd love to visit, London is defiantly one of them." she said with a smile on her face.

"Then why don't you? What is stopping you?" He asked curiously

"Kyrati tradition prevents me from leaving. In this country, it is thought that women belong in the kitchen, pleasing men, not out exploring the world." She explained

He finally looked up from his desk, a slightly angered look on his face. "That is so stupid! Woman are just as capable of doing anything men can. As far as Kyrati tradition goes, I am your king now and I say if you want to go out and see places, explore the world, then go for it, I won't be the one to stop you." his angered expression eased up and he tilted his head slightly "you speak english rather well for a Kyrati woman"

She looked at him, pleased that he had noticed her as a human and not just some woman, he was the first to ever actually see her the way she wanted to be seen. "I enjoy reading, but most of the books I have are in english, so I sorta taught myself." She stood up and walked towards the door in which she leaned the mop, and then proceeded back to the mess.

"You are insanely intelligent. I have never met any Kyrati like you before." The king told her with surprise in his voice.

"Thank you" she replied with a smile, beginning to blush even more. She finished up the mopping and being satisfied with the clean area, she headed towards the door.

"If you don't mind, may I ask your name?" He said watching her.

"Ishwari" she told him

"Well Ishwari, I eminently enjoyed your company and our conversation. Thank you for cleaning up my mess, I will have to throw scotch glasses across the room more often." He chuckled "You have a good night."

"You do the same my king." Ishwari said as she walked out of the door, where the guard who escorted her in, was waiting to escort her back out. He of course didn't walk her all the way back to the cabin, just to the palace door. She walked up to the cabin, with a smile she couldn't get rid of. Just like that, the man she had believed to be nothing but a monster became her hero. She had never met a man in her life, who saw women as his equal. Everything that Mohan was against, Pagan stood up for. He managed to make her feel needed, where as Mohan made her feel useless. When she reached the cabin she crawled into bed, still smiling, knowing that she would dream of the moment she had just shared with her king.

Chapter 8

She awoke the next morning before anybody else, eager for seven to come around so she could head back down to the palace. She had already washed up, and taken care of Ajay for the morning, as well as eat a small bagel for breakfast, and still had at least thirty minutes before she had to leave. With her spare time, she picked up the her London book and began reading it. Even though she already found London to be a very intriguing place, it had become even more so since last night. She wanted to learn every possible thing she could about it.

Eventually seven did come around and she headed with the others down for their days chores. She once again proceeded with her daily routines, but very distracted as she did. No matter what she did, she could not get him out of her mind. She'd give anything to hear his voice again, but there was nothing she could do, so she continued to tidy up the rooms just as she did everyday. When she at last made it to the hallway, began wiping everything down, Ajay still strapped to her back. Every now and then she would look up to see if by chance he'd be walking down the hallway, like he had before. she was almost to her final table, when she heard the voice she had longed to hear all day.

"Ishwari! How are you this evening?" Pagan said with an enthusiastic voice as he waked towards her.

"Oh, I'm doing fine" she said in a somewhat shy tone.

"Awesome, I'm glad to hear it." he said stopping beside her "and who might this be" he looked at Ajay and held out his index finger allowing the infant to wrap his hand around his finger.

"umm, this is my son, his name is Ajay" Ishwari said, surprised that Pagan seemed to okay with the baby.

"It is very nice to meet you young Ajay" he said with a smile. "Anyways, I'm in somewhat of a hurry, being king is a very busy occupation, so I'll see you later Ishwari, please enjoy the rest of your day" He turned and proceeded down the hall, heading towards his office.

Ishwari wanted to reply back to him, but for some reason, she was unable to make the words come out. She just watched as he disappeared out of her sight. She soon realized she had a deadline to meet and continued working at a moderate pace in order to finish on time. After she had done everything that was needed, she headed back up to her accommodation. When she reached her destination, she laid Ajay on the bed, pulling him out of the sling she carried him in, on her back, and carried him to the bath house with her. Once they had finished, she headed back for Ajay's nightly feeding. She laid her son in his bed, once done and started clearing off items that were laying on her bed, making room for herself. She threw the sling that Ajay was in onto the floor, and instantly she heard something hard hit.

She picked up the sling, which had made the sound. She started to feel it, wondering why a piece of cloth, smacked the floor harder than it should have. She soon felt something hard inside it and reached in to inspect what it was. Never did she expect to pull out a small key chain of the famous clock tower in London, known as Big Ben. Wrapped around the trinket was a note held on with a rubber band.

Ishwari,

I'm not sure why I did it, but after you left last night, I opened my desk drawer and pulled out this souvenir I brought back with me from London. I sat and just stared at it, completely lost in the conversion we had just had. It was then I realized that you would probably be much happier with it than I would. After all, I haven't looked it in ages. I honestly don't even know why I bought the thing, but I'm glad I did, because now I can give it to you. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy giving it to you.

~Pagan Min~

She sat reading and rereading the note she had just received. She could feel herself blushing as she read it. It wasn't much, but the fact that he had thought about her after she had left made her very happy on the inside. She hadn't really talked or seen him much, but from what she had witnessed, he didn't seem to be as cruel as everybody made him out to be. It was then she remembered that she is supposed to be a spy for the Golden Path and this was the perfect opportunity for her to try to get close to him. She turned and looked over to her notepad and grabbed it, deciding to write a letter, in response.

King Min,

I greatly appreciate the gift you have given me. It caught me by surprise and completely made my night. Now every time I think of London, I shall think of you. What was even more enjoyable was the fact you took time to write me. I love to read, and nobody has ever written to me before, not many of my fellow Kyrati people know how to write, and the few that do see it as a waste of time. Thank you for making me smile in a way no one has ever done before.

~ Ishwari

She looked over the note, being satisfied with it, she folded it up and wrote "King Min" on it. She then placed it inside of her book about London, where it would be safe until morning. She laid back holding the key chain up and examined it. Noting every little detail about it, until her eyes, started feeling heavy and she drifted off into sleep, still holding the kings gift close to her.

Chapter 9

The next day, as she headed into the palace, she discreetly broke away form the other maids and made her way towards Pagan's room. Once she reached the golden doors, she looked around and when she found no one was paying attention, she slid the note she wrote for him the previous night under the door. She then turned and headed back to where she was supposed to be, and Shanna began asking where she had went. Ishwari quickly came up with an excuse telling her that Ajay, spit up and she had to rush to the nearest bathroom. Believing her Shanna nodded and headed off to do her required duties.

Hours passed and it seemed that the hallway was currently the place for excitement for Ishwari. Though it wasn't guaranteed, Ishwari tended to anticipate that King Min would walk down it and talk to her as he had before. That day unfortunately ended with disappointment, she did not get the chance to see or hear from him at all, before she had to head back up to the servant quarters, in which she did her usual routine and after putting Ajay to bed, she began reading more of her London book before heading to sleep herself.

She was beginning to lose hope of actually becoming connected with the king as another day was almost over. She moved out into the hallway and started cleaning off the picture frames hanging on the walls and then moving to the table that required dusting. After she had finished with that table, she moved on to the next. She picked up the small, elephant figurine that sat on it, to begin wiping it, when she found a small folded up paper underneath of it, with the name "Ishwari" written on it. She instantly began to feel a solace feeling inside of her. As much as she wanted to open it up and read it then and there she decided to wait and read it later that night, sticking it in her small bag she carried around with her and continuing her work.

It felt like forever before she was all cleaned up, with fed and sleeping baby in his bed next to hers. Finally able to relax, Ishwari pulled up her bag and took out the note, she had waited hours to read.

Ishwari,

I am exhilarated that you enjoyed the gift, and I am even more so that you enjoy receiving letters, and writing them in return. I feel more people should write letters to each other. It's just something about putting thoughts on paper, rather than saying them aloud. I could just be me, but I feel like words flow more amply, when a person can actually write them out and think about what is being said. I'm so grateful I met you the other night. It's been forever since I've been able to have deep conversations like this. Most people I talk to are complete buffoons, whom of which don't understand a thing I am talking about, unless the subject happens to be about war, cars, which lady looks the best, ect... I greatly wish to have your company again, but only if you wish for the same in return. Feel free to reply and inform me if you are up for my company, if so, I may just be seeing you tomorrow. I hope you have a fantastic night.

~ Pagan Min ~

Ishwari was overwhelmed by the fact that the king of Kyrat himself enjoyed her company and had wished to spend more time with her. She wanted to see this opportunity as a win for the Golden Path, being able to learn possible deep secrets about the enemy's commander, but she had trouble thinking about that. She was unable to see Min as the enemy, now all she saw was a man who understood her as much as she understood him. She placed his note with the prior one she received, in the dresser underneath some of her clothes and then reached up to the top dresser and picked up the notepad which lay on it and began writing to her king.

King Min,

I am very happy that you request my company. I would also like to talk with you more, it's nice to speak with someone, who doesn't worry about tradition, and makes me feel like an actual person, not just some woman. I can't wait to converse with you more. Until then, take care.

~ Ishwari

Chapter 10

On the walk down to the palace, she walked up to Shanna and asked her for a favor. "Hey Shanna, do you think you could do something for me?"

"Depends on what it is, I suppose" She replied

"Well i'm not sure yet, but something may come up sometime today and I may need someone to keep an eye on Ajay for a few hours" Ishwari told her, in hopes that she'd agree to watch him.

"What could you possibly be doing that you will need a babysitter for a few hours?" Shanna questioned her.

"I'd rather not discuss it right now, if that's alright" Ishwari said slightly blushing.

Shanna saw through her disguise and a smile grew on her face "I bet I know what's going on. One of the guards asked you out, didn't they?"

"Like I said, I'd rather not talk about it, not yet anyways." Ishwari said, looking down at her feet.

Inside the palace, Ishwari headed to the golden doors in which behind laid the kings room and slid the note underneath, this time waiting until after she had gathered her cleaning supplies, not wanting to have to explain why she disappeared again. After she made sure it was fully slid under the door, she headed to her wing of the palace to begin cleaning. The time seemed to go by slower than usual, inside her built up anticipation of her possible meeting with the king.

Five eventually arrived and she was eager to head up to the cabin and get cleaned up in case he decided to send a guard for her. When she walked inside, she instantly noticed a package wrapped up laying on her bed with her name written on it. She walked up to it and opened it up to find a white dress with red flowers along the bottom of it, with it was a note.

So you can dress nice. I will see you around seven.

"It is a date!" Shanna who was also in the room with her shouted "I don't know what guard you're seeing, but he's going all out."

Ishwari just looked at her friend as she proceeded to change her baby's diaper and feed him before going to the bath house to fix herself up for her evening with King Min. When she returned back to the cabin, wearing the dress that was left for her, her fellow maids seemed to be more excited than she was. They began complimenting how well she looked in the new dress, and Shanna began helping her fix her hair in a nice manner. Shanna had just finished braiding Ishwari's hair, when there was a knock at the door.

Chapter 11

"I'll get it!" Shanna said jumping up really fast. "I need to get a good look at this guy." as she opened the door to find Pagan Min standing before her, dressed in a beautiful silk, pink suit. Shanna's eyes widened and she practically lost all her breath "K...King Min" she stuttered just staring at the man hundreds of people, including herself feared.

"Oh, I apologized, it would seem that I have caught you by surprise." He said, staring intently at Shanna "I assumed Ishwari informed you that I would be making an appearance tonight. Speaking of, is she here?"

"Yes I'm right here." Ishwari said walking towards the door, where Shanna stood looking at her, still in shock. In a way Ishwari herself was also very surprised. She had never expected him to show up himself, she figured he'd send a guard to retrieve her and then they would meet up at the palace.

"Oh, delightful!" the king said as he saw his escort.

When Ishwari reached the door, she turned and looked at Shanna "Ajay has already been fed and changed, so he should be okay for the rest of the night. Thank you so much for watching him, and I promise to explain everything tomorrow morning." She then turned to look at King Min, who was still grinning.

"Excellent, Shall we?" he held out his arm for Ishwari to hold on to.

She gently rested her arm on his, which despite his appearance felt very masculine. "What do you exactly have planned for tonight?" she asked looking up at him.

"That my dear, is a surprise." He answered back, continuing to look forward.

"Oh" she said looking down at the dirt path that was beneath her feet. She then heard him start to chuckle and she quickly turned her attention back to him.

"Don't worry about it, I've set up something nice and I think you'll enjoy yourself. If you end up not having a good time, then let me know and I will kindly escort you back to your accommodations, no harsh feelings"

"Yes King Min." Ishwari agreed, even though if she did end up not enjoying herself she wouldn't tell him, for fear of upsetting him.

"One more thing, I must ask you to not call me "King Min". Please just call me Pagan, I insist."

"Yes, Pagan" Iswari said happily, liking the way his name felt on her lips. Wanting to keep the conversation going, she continued speaking. "I'm sorry I didn't tell the other maids you were coming."

"That's alright, in a way I'm glad you didn't, it actually made me happy to see how surprised they were. It showed that you didn't brag about being able to spend quality time with me. You didn't let it go to your head. I have been out with people before, who showed off the fact that they were asked to dinner by someone with a high social status, like the one I carry. It made me feel used, as if they only cared about where I stood in the world, and not just about me."

"I can't imagine how hard that must be, not knowing if someone is interested in you, or just your money" she looked at him, catching a glimpse of dismal on his face.

"Yes, it is very hard indeed, but lets not talk about that right now, I wish for this evening to be enjoyable and pleasant, not discussing sob stories. Besides we have arrived"

Ishwari looked ahead to see the courtyard, which now had a gazebo set up in the center, with torches around it, completely lighting the area. There was a stereo inside that was playing soft music, a small table covered in a white table cloth, a bottle of champagne with two wine glasses, and lit candles. With her arm still securely resting on his, he escorted her inside, pulling out a chair and allowing her to sit down. She was amazed at how polite he was, she has never seen anybody use manners the way Pagan did. She had only ever read stories that had characters whom were gentlemen, and now there was one standing in front of her, pouring her, along with himself a glass of champagne.

He sat down across from her and smiled "I hope you like this type of environment I have set up for our evening. I wanted to try to make it as nice as I could.

"It's incredible, you didn't really have to do all this. No one has ever...I've never been treated this way before, and i'm very grateful."

"You've obviously never met the right person. In my opinion, a man should treat a lady with the utmost respect and put her happiness before his own. That being said, I'm probably sounding extremely cocky right now, but I promise you I don't mean to, if I do. Afterall I'm pretty sure I've already charmed you, from the way you blush every time you see me." Ishwari once again felt her face start to turn red from the comment he had just made and he began to laugh "There it is again, I actually kind of like it. It's cute"

It was then Laqueta and Eldora walked out with dinner. They placed the food on the table and lifted up the silver covers to reveal their meal. It was some sort of orange colored meat with rice on the side. Ishwari stared at it for a moment before asking what had been placed in front of her. Pagan looked up at her. "That my dear is called general tso's chicken. It has an amusing taste to it, slightly spicy. Personally it's one of my favorites" Ishwari picked up the chopsticks that lay next to the plate and attempted to use them, but it was without success. Pagan seemed to notice her struggle and laughed "I'm assuming you have never used chopsticks before." He got up and walked over to her, placing one hand on her shoulder and with the other, took her hand into his. "You hold them like this" he positioned her fingers around the wooden sticks and showed her which finger to keep steady and which finger to move. With a little practice, she eventually got the hang of it and they continued their meal.

"I think I've read about this dish before in a book about China. Did you commonly eat this where you came from? she asked him

He pulled a napkin up to his mouth and swallowed the food he was eating before he spoke "Yes, it was one of the few foods I actually enjoy from my country. I tend to be a picky eater so there's not much I like from my homeland. My absolute favorite is crab ragoon, perhaps I can have it prepared if we decide to do this again sometime."

"I'd enjoy that." Ishwari smiled "So do you have any family?"

"Yuma is the closest thing to family I have. We're not related by blood, but we grew up as brother and sister. Her parents died when she was still young and my father, being a friend of her parents, took her in"

"And what about your parents?" She asked. Pagan's face got a look, as if he remembered something he didn't want to. Noticing that she had brought up a sore subject, she tried to take it back. "I'm sorry, if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to"

"No, it's fine. I want to tell you, I just hope it doesn't change the way you see me. My father was a drug lord, and his profession drew in the wrong crowd, causing my mother to be shot and killed. I won't lie, I was a mama's boy growing up, and seeing my mother killed in cold blood, well it was a hard time for me. I didn't take it well at all. I remained angry at my father for years, until I couldn't take it anymore and I killed him. I inherited his fortune and that is how I ended up with my own personal army."

"That's sad, I'm sorry" Ishwari said with sympathy.

"Please, don't be. In a way I'm grateful because it made me into the man I am today. Though I do still miss my mother very much."

They continued talking for a while, about any and every thing. Pagan told her all about the different countries he's visited in his life time and which ones he recommends to go to, they talked about their beliefs and past. They even talked about how ridiculous some of his guards looked, before they knew it two hours had passed. Pagan noted that it was starting to get late and that he should return Ishwari back home getting up and offering her his arm.

"Before I walk you back up to that cabin, I'd like to show you something" He said helping her up.

"What is it?" She asked curiously

"You'll see" He said leading her around to the other side of the palace. He didn't lead her far before stopping. Together from the top of the mountain, they looked over the winding road that ran down to the fortress. She could see a bunch of tiny lights that lit it up. Past the fortress, she could see small glimmers of light, most likely bonfires in nearby villages. In the distance she could hear the sounds of a waterfall. They both remained quiet, just taking in the sight. After a while Pagan began to speak. "Kyrat is a beautiful place, it's peaceful. I'd love to learn as much about it as I can. I hope next time we have an evening together you can tell me more about it. My intentions may seem bad, but I really do want to help this country achieve the potential I know it's capable of. Would you be willing to help me with my goal Ishwari?"

Ishwari looked up at Pagan, who's blonde hair was shimmering in the moonlight. She still found it hard to believe that this man was the monster everyone made him out to be. She nodded "I'll do what ever I can to help"

He smiled back at her "Thank you" not looking away from her dark brown eyes. He continued to stare at her, as if lost in a trance. Finally he spoke "Let's go ahead and get you back up to the cabin so you can get some rest" He turned and led her all way back up, keeping quiet and taking in the final moments he had with her for the night. When they reached the door of the cabin, he grabbed her hands and turned to face her. "I really hope you enjoyed this evening as much as I did"

"I did, without a doubt. Like I said, no one has ever treated me the way you did tonight, and quiet frankly it's something I could get use to."

He smiled "I'm glad to hear it." It was then he leaned in and gently kissed her on the lips. Ishwari was a bit surprised, but had desperately hoped that it would happen. When she began kissing back, Pagan slowly let go of her hands and grabbed a hold of her hips, pulling her closer to him. She then opened her mouth to invite him in and he took the invitation, sliding his tongue into her mouth and intertwining it with hers. He let out a low moan and pushed her back up against the wall of the cabin, resting one hand on it, while he kept the other on her hip. They continued their session for a good minute, before he finally released her, looking deep into her eyes. "Good Night Ishwari." he said before he turned and headed back down to the palace.

Ishwari quickly walked inside, being very quiet since everyone one was already asleep. She changed into her night clothes, also having to change her panties, for they were now very wet from her make out session with Pagan. She crawled into her bed, feeling better than she had in a long time. She licked her lips, still tasting her king on them, eventually closing her eyes and drifting off.


	2. Chapters 12-14

Chapter 12

There was a gawky feeling in the cabin the next morning. Ishwari could feel the other maids glower at her as she got ready. She could only wonder what they had said about her after she had left last night. As they walked down to their job, she attempted to talk to Shanna, in hopes to clear everything up.

"Is everybody upset with me." She quietly asked

Shanna just glanced over at her and sighed. "Well it caught everyone off guard, and in a way it makes you look bad. Like your only having sex with him so you can get special treatment."

"I'm not seeking any special treatment, and besides I never slept with him. I had a bit of a moment with him a few nights ago and he said he wanted to talk with me more. That's the only reason he spent the evening with me last night."

"I find that hard to believe." Shanna said in a heated tone. "I've been here ever since he came into power, and I've seen him take countless women into his royal chamber, for them to come back out only twenty minutes later, hair a little messier than when they had went in, and then they were never seen again once they left. All he wants from you is a release, and when he's done with you, he'll just move onto the next one."

"I don't think it's like that" Ishwari replied as they walked into the palace.

Shanna simply shrugged her shoulders "well if it does happen to turn out like that, don't come crying to me." she walked on ahead towards the stairs leading to the lower level, not once looking back at her.

Ishwari continued through the day, partially bothered by what the others now thought about her. They all probably now viewed her as some whore. She was actually beginning to feel like one herself. After all, she had kissed, no, made out with Pagan while she was still married to Mohan, but she wanted her mission to be a success and sacrifices would have to be made.

She worked her way out to the hallway, in which she began to check under all the figures, looking forward to finding a letter from Pagan, but there was nothing. Disappointing she finished up her days work, continuing to keep an eye out for him to come looking for her. She finished up the work without seeing her king.

Before she knew it three days had passed, and she had not seen him or received any letters. She couldn't understand it. He seemed very pleased with the other night and they even kissed afterwards. Didn't he want to see her again? He talked as if he had, so why? She then began to think about what Shanna had told her. What if it was true? What if he had already become bored with her and moved on to the next interesting person he could find? It was then she felt a wet liquid running down her face. With her fingertips, she wiped her cheek to find that she had begun crying. She wasn't sure why she had began weeping, sure it was her mission that was at stake, but she never thought she'd get emotional over it. She was lying to herself though. She in fact did know why she was crying, she just didn't want to admit it. Admit that she wanted Pagan more than she had ever wanted anyone in her life.

He consumed her thoughts constantly and her beloved Mohan was beginning to become a faint memory to her. The thought of her betraying the sacred vows her and her husband had made to one another made her feel like garbage. She promised that she would love Mohan until death do them part, but she was no longer in love with the man she had been faithfully in a holy matrimony with for over eight years now. In a way it wasn't fair, she had no say in marrying Mohan. Their marriage was arranged when she was a small child and they were also wed while she was still very young, being only 13 years old. Mohan was also much older than her, having nine years on her.

Pagan on the other hand was only a year older than her, which could be part of the reason she understood him more. The time she had spent with him showed that he wanted the same things as her. She could listen to him talk for hours on end and could never become bored. He had so much to say and she had so much to learn. When she told him about her dreams, he would smile and encourage her on them. He made her feel like there was nothing she couldn't do. Then there was his appearance. God, he was appealing to look at, and every time she saw him, she felt lust.

Shanna's words started moving back into her thoughts, cutting deep like a knife. Ishwari was afraid that she was right, and Pagan had already found someone else. She wasn't entirely sure how she would act if she did see Pagan with another woman. She wanted to claim him as her own, and in return, she wanted to be his one and only also. She had to do something, she wasn't about to sit by idly, and let him slip out of her grip. Wiping the tears off her face and putting her work on hold, she pulled the notepad out of her bag and began writing.

Pagan,

I enjoyed the night we spent together. I keep playing every detail over in my head, wanting to relive the experience. I am completely love struck and I long to see you again. You have managed to make me feel like some school girl, nervous to talk to her crush. You haven't made contact with me for a few days now and I'm afraid, afraid I disappointed you. Please don't leave me in the dark, please let me know if you're as crazy about me as I am about you.

~Ishwari

She folded up the piece of paper and wrote his name on it. She held it close to her as she walked out of the current room she was cleaning and headed down to Pagan's room. When she reached the door, after looking around for watching eyes, she knelt down and inspected the letter she wrote. After taking a deep breath she slid it under the door. She stood up and was about to walk away when she heard the door open up. She turned around to find Yuma standing in the door way, holding Pagan's letter in her hand.

"Who the hell are you?" Yuma yelled.

Ishwari opened her mouth to speak, but fear prevented her from doing so. She managed to look past Yuma to see Pagan, who was watching, wide eyed, mouth slightly open, and unsure what was happening.

"Well, can't you give me an answer? What are you doing slipping this garbage into my brother's room? Yuma began walking towards Ishwari "Is this some kind of love letter? Do you honestly think King Min cares about whatever you have written in this? How dare you try and waste my brother's valuable time!"

"I asked her to bring it."

Yuma whipped around to look at Pagan. "Brother?" she said confused.

The tall, well dressed man began walking towards his adopted sister. "I asked her to bring it." He looked down at the note she had clenched in her hand. "If you don't mind, I believe that has my name on it." He held out his hand, waiting for Yuma to give what belonged to him. Once it was rightfully in his hand he turned to Ishwari, showing no emotion of any sort on his face. "Thank you for dropping it off." He then shut the door, leaving Ishwari standing in the hallway alone, fighting back the tears that wanted to come out.

Chapter 13

She returned to her work area to finish her job, remaining emotional while doing it. Yuma's attitude and the words she said made her feel like she wasn't worthy of the kings attention. He came from a wealthy family, traveled the world, attended expensive schools. He lives a very different life from the one she lives. He has no idea what it's like to grow up in poverty, sew his own clothes, hunt for his own food, walk to a nearby creek to fetch water every time he wanted to bathe. Everything he wanted in life was handed to him, while she had to work for what little she did have. She began to regret writing the letter containing her true feelings for him, knowing that she made a fool out of herself.

She some how managed to finish up her work, despite her emotions. She met up with Shanna ready to head back, and her friend quickly noticed that she had been crying. She began questioning Ishwari, asking what had happened, but Ishwari really wasn't up to talk about it. They began walking through the hallways to exit the palace, walking pass Pagan's room. There was a lot of yelling coming from inside between Pagan and his sister, and Ishwari couldn't help but stop and listen to what was being said.

"It all makes sense now! The past few meetings we've had with potential clients, you were off in your own little world! It's like you're not even in the room! I couldn't understand what was going on, but now it's all clear!" Yuma shouted furiously.

"I don't see how what I do with my personal life involves you!"

"It does involve me Pagan! Everything you have, your army, your kingdom, your throne, everything I helped you get! We worked so hard, and we built this together, and I'll be damned if I let it fall apart!"

"How is she going to make everything fall apart!? Please enlighten me, because I'd really like to know!"

"Can't you see?! It's already falling apart! You're changing, you're becoming softer! You're just too blind to see it!"

"You have no idea what you're talking about! I'm still the same man I was when we took this country!"

"No! You're not! I can't understand you! She's just some whore, just like all the others you've been with, so why don't you just fuck her and toss her aside like you usually do?"

"Don't you call her that! Don't you DARE call her that!"

It was then Ishwari felt the touch of Shanna's hand. She looked over at her friend who had a look of sympathy on her face. "Come on, let's head home. You shouldn't listen into other peoples conversations. Ishwari reluctantly nodded and began to follow her out of the palace. when they reached the cabin, she stopped and just looked at it. She didn't want to be there. She didn't want to be at the palace. She didn't want to be in Kyrat. She just wanted to leave and disappear.

Eventually night arrived and she sat in her bed staring down at her sleeping son, who looked so peaceful. Sometime's she wished she was young again, never having to worry about the complicities of life. She let out a deep sigh and looked over at Shanna, who was sitting in her bed, writing in a journal. "I think I'm going to go out for a walk. I just need to clear my mind. Would you listen out for Ajay for me?"

Shanna looked up from her journal. "Of course. Do what you need to do."

With her permission, Ishwari stood up and slipped on her shoes heading out the door. The air was crisp and cool, and the only light what that of the moon. It was quiet out and that was exactly what she needed. She began walking down the path towards the palace, lost in her thoughts. She stepped into the courtyard, where the gazebo stood on the night she spent with Pagan. Every little detail replayed in her head. He made her feel so comfortable, as if she had known him forever.

She then walked around to the far side of the palace where Pagan had lead her. She looked out at all the lights, taking in the sound of the flowing water. It was hard to believe that a land that was so calm at night, would be filled with gunshots and acts of war by day. She took in another deep breath and turned around to head back up to the cabin. She became very startled when she found that Pagan was behind her, watching her.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Taking in the view, just like you are." He looked distressed. "You seem to enjoy this spot. I'm glad I showed it to you." He began walking in her direction, walking pass her and staring off into the distance. "When I have a lot on mind, I come out here and just listen. Sometimes silence can be the only friend you need."

"Do you have a lot on your mind right now?" She inquested, looking at him from behind."

"More than you can imagine." He turned to face her.

"It's all because of me." She said, not looking away from him.

"This is where I'm supposed to say "No it's not you, it's me.", but I won't, because the truth is, it is because of you. I'm not mad at you for it though." He walked towards her, closing the gap between them, and looked at her intensely. "You make me feel something I've never felt before. I've been with countless women...and a few men in my lifetime, and I have always known what to do, like it was instinct. But then I meet you and I have no idea how I'm supposed to act. I can't focus, I can't think, I can't sleep, I just can't get you out of my mind. You're all I think about every second of every day."

"Pagan..." She whispered his name, his words making her fall even more in love with him.

"To answer your question. Yes. I am crazy about you. I've never been more crazy about one person in my life." He rested his hand on her cheek and pulled her in for a kiss, and she felt even happier than she did the first time their lips touched.

When he pulled away from her, she looked him in the eyes "Pagan, I'm so sorry for all the trouble I've caused you."

With his hand he pushed the bangs out of her eyes "Don't be. You are worth all the trouble I may go through." He leaned in for another kiss, this time running his hand through her hair, kissing her even more passionately. She placed her hands on the outline of his jaw, just beside his ears, and he lowered his hands to her waist. His breath became heavier and he began sliding his hands under her shirt, feeling her soft skin. She threw her head back at his touch, and he used that opportunity to place kisses on her neck.

She opened her eyes, realizing that they were still standing outside. She grabbed his arms, pulling on them until he moved them back outside of her shirt. "We can't do this here."

He held on to one of her hands and brought it up to his face, kissing it and then placing it on his cheek, closing his eyes as he did. "Do you want this?"

"I want this." she answered, truly meaning it.

He opened his eyes to look at her. "Okay" without saying another word he held her hand tightly, leading her towards the palace and once inside, he pulled her in the direction of his chambers. He opened the door to the room that they first met in, letting them inside and shutting it behind them. He instantly grabbed a hold of her, pulling her close, as if he was doing everything to control himself since they left the yard. He started kissing her roughly, pushing her up against his desk, knocking off a few books in the process.

She began unbuttoning the purple blazer he had on, taking it off and dropping it on the floor. Now wearing only his white dress shirt and suit pants, he picked her up and started walking towards the wooden doors on the other side of his office, still kissing her while doing so. He opened the doors, revealing his bedroom that was most definitely fit of a king. He walked across the huge room and laid her on his king sized bed, putting himself on top of her, and continuing with the kissing.

While he was busy with that, Ishwari unbuckled his belt pulling it loose. She grabbed his shirt and pulled it out of his pants in which it was neatly tucked in, pulling it all the way off. Noticing he was already halfway undressed, he grabbed a hold of her shirt and pulled it up over her head, leaving nothing but a bra covering her torso. He moved closer to her and started kissing her chest, while he undid her bra. Tossing it to the side, he let the cool air hit her breasts, as he began to rub her nipple, whilst taking the other in his mouth.

"Pagan wait..."

He immediately stopped what he was doing and looked up at her concerned. "Am I hurting you?"

She inhaled, taking a deep breath. "No, you're amazing, it's just I breast feed Ajay and I'm afraid if you suck on me like that..."

He cut her off. "I understand. Don't worry, I'll be gentle, I promise."

He went back to focusing his attention to her breasts, gently rubbing and nipping at them. He grabbed a hold of her pants while doing so and pulled them off, leaving her completely exposed. It was then he started tracing her body with his hand, moving his fingertips down between her thighs, rubbing her womanhood with his middle finger. Once he received a few good moans out of her, he re-positioned his hand, sliding his index and middle finger inside of her, continuing to rub her clit with his thumb. She began to moan louder, reaching her hand around his shoulder, burying it in his hair. He raised his head up, to watch her, enjoying the face full of pleasure he was causing her to make.

Between the moans, she managed to speak. "Pagan, I want you. Please, don't make me wait anymore."

He obliged her wish and sat up on his knees, unbuttoning his pants and pulling them off, revealing his already hard member, which was far from small. He started positioning himself on top of her, and Ishwari closed her eyes, waiting for him to enter her. When he didn't, she opened them to see why. She looked up at him to find him staring, with a look of doubt, almost as if he was having second thoughts.

"Is everything alright?"

He continued watching her, not saying a word.

"Pagan?" She said, becoming worried.

"I've never done this before." He finally answered back.

His words were confusing to her. He was just telling her a few moments ago that he had been with countless people, and now he was saying that this is all new to him. "Sex?" Ishwari asked in hopes to clear up the confusion.

"No, not that. I've had sex before. I've had so much sex. It's just that every time I have engaged in intercourse, it was solely for pleasure. They'd come, I'd have my way with them, then they would leave. I've never did it for the passion of it before, and I've never been so nervous about doing it. I just want to make sure I do it right."

"So far you've been doing it right. You've hit and worked all the right spots to the point my head is spinning. If you keep up what you've been doing, I can guarantee I won't be disappointed. Just stick to what you know." she reassured him.

"Very well, but if I start to get to rough, or I start hurting you, I want you to tell me. Okay?"

Ishwari nodded and reached up to touch his cheek. "Okay"

He nodded, then proceeded to move himself, so he could grab a hold of his penis and guide it toward her entrance. He started with the tip, letting her get used to it, before slowly sliding the rest of him into her as deep as he could go. She gasped at the feel of him inside of her, clenching the pillow she laid her head on. Her breathing became more rapid, when he started with small shallow thrusts, afraid of going to fast to soon.

Ishwari loved the way he was making her feel, but soon grew tired of his gentleness. "Harder"

He obeyed her command and pulled almost completely out, before pushing back in with as much force as possible. The loud moan that escaped her mouth and the scratches she was placing down his back let him know he was in the right. He repeated, and then repeated again. Soon he was combining his force with a faster pace. His moans became mixed with hers and he started shouting things out in his primary language of chinese. Ishwari couldn't understand a word he was saying, but the way the words rolled off his lips, she could tell they were full of lust.

He managed to keep up his amazing work for a good while, before letting out one loud moan of ecstasy from reaching his climax. His fast, hard pace slowed down and he rode his orgasm out inside of her. He eased himself down, to lay on top of her, catching his breath, before sliding himself out of her and falling to lay next to her. Ishwari too, was breathing hard, being exhausted from the orgasm she had herself. She turned her head to look at Pagan, who seemed to be falling asleep.

"Wo ai ni"

"What does that mean?" Ishwari asked him curiously

Pagan's eyes slowly began to close "I love you"

Ishwari watched as he fell asleep and she lightly kissed him, before drifting off herself.

Chapter 14

Daylight had just begun shining through the windows in the master bedroom, Ishwari opened her eyes, looking around the unfamiliar room. She sat up, yawning, before remembering that she left her son with Shanna, who was now most likely upset with her for not returning. She looked over to her left, at the still sleeping Pagan, who had a mellow expression on his face.

As she looked at him, something snapped inside of her and she started crying. Here this man poured his heart out to her. He spoke to her last night as if it took everything he had to tell her his true feelings. He trusted her. He respected her, and he treated her like a queen. He looked at her as if she was the only woman in the world.

All she did in return was lie. Yes, she did care about Pagan, and she couldn't deny that, but he had no idea who he was really falling for. He had no idea that he had just slept with a spy who is married to the leader of the terrorist group he had been fighting since he came into power. She began thinking about her husband, who, even though didn't know it yet, was betrayed by his wife. Mohan was the man who had loved and provided for her and their son for over nine years. Now she was naked in another mans bed, completely love struck with him.

"Did you sleep well?" Pagan spoke, smiling as he slowly opened his eyes. He quickly sat up, putting his arm around her when he saw tears running down her cheek. "Ishwari? What's wrong?"

Her tears began falling even harder, hearing the concern for her in his voice that she did not deserve. "I'm in love with you."

"I'm glad to hear that, but there's no need to cry about it." he said, letting out a small laugh and using his thumb to wipe a tear off her cheek.

"I'm sorry Pagan. I'm so sorry."

He raised an eyebrow. "For what? Being in love with me?"

She shook her head. "No. For not being who I say I am."

"Ishwari, what are you talking about?" he looked at her anxious.

"My name is Ishwari Ghale. I am the wife of Mohan Ghale, the founder of the Golden Path. I was sent here to spy on you, in hopes of gaining some kind of knowledge that would help remove you from the throne."

The concern on his face turned to surprise, and then to anger. "Get out..."

"Pagan, I..."

"GET OUT!" he shouted, completely enraged.

She obeyed, getting out of his bed and picking up her clothes from the floor. She walked though the wooden doors leading into his office, closing them behind her. She dressed herself in that room, before walking out of the hallway heading towards the exit. She reached the door leading outside and Shanna was just coming in, with Ajay strapped to her back.

She looked as if she was about to yell at Ishwari for leaving her stuck with a baby, but stopped when she saw Ishwari sobbing. She grabbed Ishwari pulling her to the side. "What happened? Why didn't you come back last night?"

"I have to leave. I can't stay here." Ishwari said, retrieving her son from Shanna's back.

"Where are you going to go?" Shanna questioned her.

"I'm going back home."

"Ishwari, the only way out of here is going through the fortress at the end of the road. There's no way you'll make it through there. All the men down there are nothing but pigs, they'll take you and won't let you go.

"I have to try. Thank you so much for everything you've done for me." Ishwari, walked away heading up to the cabin long enough to grab her belongings, and then proceeding down the road towards the fortress. Her mind was overwhelmed with feelings and thoughts. If she made it out of there and back to Mohan, she wasn't sure how she would tell him that she failed her mission because she slept with Pagan. Then she thought that maybe it be best that she didn't tell him. She didn't want to hurt him too. She didn't want to have to see the same hurt that Pagan had on his face when she told him the truth.

It took her about an hour to finally reach the end of the long road that lead down from the palace. There was a shack next to the entrance of the fortress in which a guard sat in a chair reading some kind of magazine. He must have heard the gravel shifting beneath her feet as she walked, looking up from his magazine at her.

"I need to go through." She boldly told him.

He stood up, showing he was much taller. "May I ask what for?"

"I've finished my work at the palace and I just wish to go back to my village."

"Alright follow me." He motioned her with his hand as he walked and opened the red door leading into the back part of the fortress. He lead her over to another guard and told him that she was wanting to leave. The second guard looked over at her and a smirk grew on his face. The previous guard turned back to Ishwari and pointed at his friend. "He'll take you the rest of the way out."

Ishwari nodded with a bad feeling in her gut. "Thank you." she said as she started walking behind the new guard. She followed him down the only path through the fortress for a while before the guard stopped at one of the many buildings "We have to go inside here first. There's protocol to be taken care of before you can leave."

Ishwari felt fear begin to build up inside of her, but she obeyed, knowing that she would most likely be shot down if she tried to run. She climbed the steps and went through the small door just as the guard had instructed her to do. The moment she stepped inside, someone grabbed a hold of her and slammed her into the wall. She gasped for breath, after having the wind knocked out of her, looking up to see at least three men in the room with her. The collision with the wall caused Ajay to start screaming.

"Oh, I can't handle a screaming baby!" one of the guards yelled. "Get it out of here!"

Another guard walked up to her, grabbing Ajay off of her back and Ishwari ran at him, fighting with all her might to prevent the man from taking her son. The struggle was in vain though, when one of the men hit her across the face as hard as he could, knocking her to the floor. With blood now dripping from her lip, she began screaming for her child.

"Please, bring him back to me! Don't hurt him! Give me my baby back!"

Her yelling came to an end with another hit to the face. Through the haze, she managed to look up at the man who hit her. He knelt down and wrapped his hands around her throat, pushing her up against the wall. "If you shut up and do as we tell you, we might give your son back."

With tears running down her face, she nodded.

A smile grew on his face. "Good. I'm glad we understand each other." He released his grip that was around her neck and moved his hands up to her head, grabbing a clump of her hair, pulling her up to her feet. He walked her over to the corner of the room, where there sat a couch. He sat down on it, pushing her to her knees in front of them. Leaning back, he began to undo his pants, pulling out his dick. "Put it in your mouth."

Ishwari looked up at the horrible man, still sobbing. "Please, don't"

Her disobedience earned her another hard slap to the face. "Don't you want to see your son again? Put it in your mouth."

Ishwari swallowed her fear. Closing her eyes, she pushed it into her mouth. The guard, still holding a clump of her hair, shoved her head down, causing her to gag.

"That's a good girl, now move your head up and down." She obeyed knowing no good would come if she didn't. He began moaning "Don't forget to use that tongue of yours."

The noises he was producing, was making her feel sick to her stomach. She didn't want any of this. She never asked for any of this. The next thing she knew she was knocked backwards. She looked up to notice that the horrible man was on his feet, quickly shoving himself back in his pants.

"King Min!" The guard said frightened.

Ishwari looked over towards the door to see Pagan standing by it, his face filled with anger.

"Is this what you do in your free time?" He began walking over to his soldier.

"I didn't know you were coming." The guard replied, his voice raspy with fear.

"Ah, I see. So this is only something you do when you're not expecting me." Pagan reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small knife. "You make me sick." Without any hesitation, he buried the knife into the bottom of the guards jaw, causing him to fall to the floor, bleeding out. Pagan threw the knife to the side, making it slide across the floor. He then turned around and looked at the other two men in the room, before looking down at Ishwari, who was still laying on the ground. He knelt down and scooped her up into his arms. Ishwari instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder, still crying.

Pagan turned and walked out of the building, where there were two heavily armored soldiers. "Kill them" he said, signaling for them to dispose of the remaining men in the room.

Ishwari raised her head, ignoring the gun fire that was now in the background. "Pagan, they took Ajay. They have my baby."

"Don't worry, he's safe." Pagan said, staring straight ahead. She buried her face back into his shoulder, until they reached a small black car. Pagan opened the door and sat her down in the back seat. Ishwari, looked to the front of the car to see Shanna in the passenger seat, holding young Ajay. Pagan then walked around to the other side of the vehicle, climbing into the back seat with Ishwari. "We're finished here." Pagan told the driver, and they began making their way back towards the palace.


	3. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The ride back towards the palace was a quiet one, with the exception of Ajay whimpering. Pagan lifted his butt up off the seat enough so he could slip his hand in his pocket, pulling out a white handkerchief. He handed it to Ishwari, seeing the blood on her face, telling her to wipe off. He detoured his attention back to the window, not looking back at her once. After what felt like an eternity, the car came to a stop in front of the palace. Pagan finally made a movement, looking at the two people sitting in the front of the vehicle.

"Shanna, would you take Ajay inside and check him over. Make sure those bastards didn't do anything to him. I need to be alone with Ishwari for a few minutes"

"Yes sir." She replied, looking up at him from the visor mirror. She quickly exited the vehicle, along with the driver, leaving Ishwari alone with Pagan.

With a sigh, Pagan laid his head up against the head rest that accompanied his seat, and stared up at the grey ceiling of the car.

Ishwari glanced over at this beautiful man in which she had feelings for. She waited, hoping he would say something, but he remained quiet, lost in thought. They just sat there in silence, until eventually Ishwari could handle it no more. "What are you going to do with me?"

"What do you think I'm going to do with you?" He turned his head to look out the window, unable to look at her.

"I thought you were going to have me executed."

He let out a huge sigh "If I wanted you dead, I would have left you down there with those animals."

"So what then? What do you plan to do with me?" She asked to find out the answer.

He moved his head to gaze at his feet. "When I told you to get out of my room this morning, I was upset. After you left...I just laid in that empty bed, staring at the ceiling for at least an hour. I wanted to hate you, but I couldn't." He finally looked up at her. "Ishwari, I told you I love you last night. I have never said that to anyone else before. I don't even know why I said it. We barely know each other."

Tears started building up in her eyes again as she listened to what he had to say.

"I searched everywhere for you this morning. I went up to the servant cabins, I checked the wing you're usually cleaning, I even checked that spot outside that means so much to us. When all else failed, I went and found Shanna, hoping she would knew where you were. When she told me that you walked down to the fortress in attempt to head home, I got this fear inside of me. I have never been so scared in my life. I knew what those men would do to you. I wish I could have made it down there sooner to stop it before it happened, and I'm thankful it didn't go any further than what it did." He slid his body a little closer to her and wrapped his hand around hers. "What they did to you wasn't the only thing that frightened me. I was afraid you'd leave and I'd never see you again."

"Pagan, I'm so confused." She wiped tears from her eyes.

"I know you are. I only want you to be happy, so I'll give you a choice. If you wish to return to your husband, I will have one of my more trusted men drive you back home. I won't try to stop you." He paused for a moment, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Opening his eyes, to look deep into her own, he began speaking again. "But if you wish to stay then we'll forget this ever happened. We'll pick up where we left off. I promise to love and protect you. The same goes for your son. He'll be treated as if he's my own." Pagan released his grip on her hands and opened the car door, getting out. "I actually have a meeting with Yuma at her place I was supposed to be at an hour ago. I imagine she's furious right now. I'll be heading over there, so I won't be here at the palace for the rest of the day. That'll give you time to decide." He shut the door and walked away not looking back, leaving her by herself.

She continued to watch him, until he disappeared through the palace door. She scrunched her knees, pulling them close to her chest, resting her feet on the seat and buried her face, letting her tears run free. How could he expect her to choose him over her husband? If she was any kind of wife, she would of course choose to return home to her beloved Mohan. She would return back to the life she had always known, and she would raise a family as she had always planned. But going home would mean saying goodbye to Pagan, saying goodbye to a possible life of excitement and freedom from chained tradition.

She lifted her head up when she heard the roar of helicopter blades. She turned to glance out the window, to find pagans helicopter ascending above the palace and flying off into the horizon. She felt slightly relieved knowing that Pagan was gone for the day and she would not have to face him for a few hours. She took a few moments to pull herself together, before opening the door and removing herself from the vehicle. Wanting to go check on her little Ajay, she went in search of Shanna. She wondered the palace until she found Shanna in the lower part of the palace, changing Ajay's diaper.

"Is he alright?" Ishwari asked walking up beside Shanna.

"He seems to be okay." Shanna replied, pinning the new diaper in place.

"I was so scared. I didn't know where they were taking him, or what they were going to do to him." Ishwari said, grabbing a hold of Ajay's tiny hand.

"King Min was afraid too." Shanna looked up to her friend. "He saw that man carrying Ajay and immediately told the driver to stop." She giggled a little. "He actually opened the door and got out of the car before the driver had time to come to a complete stop."

"What happened to the guy that had Ajay?"

"I think King Min was too concerned about you, to care about that guy. He ran up to him and snatched Ajay out of his hands, then he started questioning the guy asking about you. When he received an answer, he handed Ajay to me and ran into the building that you were in." Shanna balled up Ajay's used diaper and tossed it in the dirty laundry pile. "He was really worried about you this morning. When I told him you left, he looked as if he was about to cry. I've never seen the king that way before. I think he really cares about you. What did you do to think you had to run away?"

Ishwari sighed, knowing that there was no point in hiding her secret now. "I told him who I really am. I'm married to the leader of the golden path, and I was sent here to spy on the king."

Shanna raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You're a spy?"

"yes."

"What did King Min say he was going to do to you?" Shanna asked worried.

Ishwari looked over at her son who was glancing around the room, finding comfort in watching him. "He's giving me a choice. He's going to allow me and Ajay to return home, if I want. He also told me I can stay here with him and he'll look pass my dishonesty."

"Are you going to stay?"

Ishwari shook her head. "I don't know if I should. I feel like I don't deserve his kindness."

"I don't know how to help you. This is something only you can decide. I will tell you one thing though. This 'kindness' you talk about, he doesn't have it unless he's with you. If you stay, there's a good chance things could get better for Kyrat."

"I just need to think it through" Ishwari said shaking her head.

"Take all the time you need. If you want, I'll look after Ajay for the day, so you can have some peace to sort your thoughts." Shanna offered.

"Thank you Shanna, I appreciate it." Ishwari smiled at her friend.

"Anytime. Now if you excuse me, I still have work I need to finish." Shanna strapped Ajay to her back and headed out the door leading upstairs to the top part of the palace.

Ishwari closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was one of the biggest decisions she has ever had to make. She never imagined that when she left her husband to come spy on Pagan, that she would be leaving him for good. Part of her wanted to return to him, just because it was the right thing to do. She turned and headed back up the stairs, and then to the door leading outside.

She walked to the side of the palace and looked out over Kyrat. It was different seeing it in broad daylight. Seeing the smoke rising from various places in her home land in the distance made her imagine a world without war. If she stayed she could convince Pagan to change his ways. Kyrat would benefit from her affair.

Ishwari wondered around the palace grounds for at least an hour or so before she found herself at the servant cabins. She walked inside and sat down on her designated bed. She opened up the drawer next to her and pulled out the few letters that Pagan had wrote her. She began rereading them and smiled at each one. The feeling she got every time she received a new letter was addicting. He kept her waiting and excited to receive the next one. After looking them over, she reached into the drawer and pulled out the Big Ben key chain that he had gifted her with. She laid back and held it up above her face smiling at it. She imagined all the amazing things she would get to experience with Pagan. She wrapped her fingers around the tiny trinket and rested it on her chest, closing her eyes.


	4. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Ishwari? Hey Ishwari, wake up."

Ishwari opened her eyes to find Shanna looking down at her. "What time is it?" Ishwari asked rubbing her eyes.

"About quarter till six. I took Ajay for a walk. I didn't expect to find you up here sleeping."

"Has Pagan returned yet?"

"He got back about half an hour ago. Do you know what you're going to do yet?"

Ishwari sat up and glanced down at her hand, in which Big Ben was still clutched in. She looked up at Ajay who was secure in Shanna's arms. Ajay's big brown eyes met hers and she couldn't help but smile at her baby boy. He was right there in front of her, safe and unharmed, all because Pagan came to his rescue, as well as hers. He had every right to just leave her and Ajay to their fate, but he didn't.

"I have to go talk to him" Ishwari announced as she stood up from the bed.

"Do you want me to watch Ajay for a little bit longer?" Shanna asked looking down at the boy in her arms.

"If you don't mind. It might make it easier to talk to him without having to worry about Ajay."

"Of course, what ever you need. I just hope everything goes okay for you."

"Thank you so much Shanna. I'd be lost with out you." Ishwari smiled at her friend before leaning in and kissing Ajay on the forehead. She turned and left the cabin making her way to the palace. She was still unsure what she was going to say to Pagan. When she reached the palace door, there was a heavy armored soldier guarding the entrance.

"Ishwari, I presume?" He grunted at her.

"Yes." Said in a low voice from her new found fear of royal army soldiers.

"King Min has ordered me to allow you inside." He opened the door for her and stepped aside allowing her access.

"Thank you" she told him as she passed by. Once inside she headed to where she knew Pagan was. She reached the golden doors and paused. How was this going to go? What was going to happen when she entered? She swallowed the same fear she had the very first night they had met. She felt dejavu. It was almost exactly the same. Hesitant of knocking on those big, yellow doors, for fear of what's to come. She finally built up her courage, knowing there was no way out of it, and she let her fist gently tap the door. This time she didn't hear Pagan speak telling her to come in. Instead she was greeted by him when the door swung open.

Their eyes met and Ishwari saw something those dark coffee colored eyes that she couldn't make out. Was it fear? Sorrow? Hope? He didn't speak a work and she only knew it was okay to enter when he stepped to the side and motioned his arm, inviting her in. She stepped inside and he closed the door behind her. Ishwari stood in place unsure of what to do next. Pagan on the other hand didn't stand still and strolled past her, towards his desk. Once reaching it, he turned and leaned on it, his back side up against it, resting his hands on the edge of it on either side of his hips. He still didn't speak. He watched Ishwari intently waiting for her to make a move.

Ishwari knew she had to get the conversation started. "How was your trip to Yuma's?"

"Exactly how I thought it was going to be. She was a bit angry I didn't show up earlier this morning. She got over it though." He answered her question and continued watching her.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ishwari said looking down at her feet.

"For what? That she was angry? Or that she got over it?"

His sarcastic comment made Ishwari smile and she glanced up at him expecting to see him smiling back, but he still had the same concentrated look on his face.

"Why do you smile Ishwari?" He asked tilting his head to one side.

"I thought you were trying to be funny." She said looking back down to her feet.

"I was. I want to ease up the tension, so we can stop avoiding the elephant that's in the room." He folded up his arms.

Ishwari looked back up from her feet. "So you're saying to want to get to the point then."

"Yes." He said, seriousness in his voice.

Ishwari nodded her head and knew there was no point in trying to delay this conversation any longer. "Why are you giving me this choice?"

Pagan sighed and closed his eyes as if he were thinking carefully about how to respond. After a pause he opened his eyes to look at Ishwari. "You thought I was going to kill you today?"

"Yes." She replied, the thought making the hairs stand up on the back of her neck.

Pagan continued to stare at her intensely "So why did you tell me if you thought it was going to get you killed? Why would you betray your husband and forsake your mission? I would have played right into your hand and you would of had everything you want to be a successful spy."

"I care about you Pagan." She replied, without any hesitation in her voice.

Pagan gave a very faint smile "That's why I'm giving you a choice Ishwari."

"You saved me today. You saved my son. You could have let us die, but you didn't." Ishwari informed him.

Pagan actually let himself fully smile this time. "I care about you Ishwari."

His words were enough to push her over the edge and she let her eyes fill with tears. "Pagan, I don't want to leave. I want to stay with you."

Those were the words he had been waiting to hear the entire time. He stood up from where he was leaning on his desk and made his way towards her, grabbing a hold of her and pushing her up against the golden doors, before pressing his mouth against hers.

He pulled his lips away from hers. "Ishwari, you have no idea how happy you have just made me." Before she had time to speak, his mouth had claimed hers yet again.

She reached up and began unbuttoning his shirt, sure this is where he was hoping it would lead. Not having to worry about a blazer this time, she quickly had his white dress shirt off and on the ground. She rested her hands on the muscles of his arms, and she could feel each one tense as his hands made their way to the waistline of her pants. It didn't take him long to yank her black pants down, along with her panties. Now that she was exposed he quickly moved on to the next step, which was unbuckling his belt and pulling down his own pants, revealing his erection.

He moved his hands around to her thighs and lifted her off the ground, still pushing her up against the doors. In one quick movement he pushed himself inside of her, causing her to gasp from the feeling of him filling her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on as he continued to thrust himself into her over and over. She buried her face in his neck and started kissing before biting the same area her lips just were. Pagan let out a loud groan from the contact of her teeth and pulled her away from the door she was up against.

Still holding her, with himself inside, he made his way over to the chair that sat in the corner of the office. He sat down on it, allowing Ishwari to comfortably sit on his lap. This new position allowed him to be very deep inside. Ishwari moaned at the fullness of him and began to moan even louder when he started moving his hips. She used his shoulders as support lifting herself up and down, matching his movements so every time she came down, his hips would bounce her back up.

After getting used to each others rhythm, Pagan moved his hands to her hips and pulled her blouse up over her head, tossing it to the side before undoing the bra she was wearing. Once he had it off he replaced his hands on her hips and started lifting her up and down himself to go faster. This new speed made Ishwari release his shoulders and rest her hands on the back of the chair. She lowered her face to his and started kissing him, while he kept up his work. She had never had sex like this before, and she knew she would want more of it.

A few more thrusts was all it took and Ishwari exploded around him. Pagan only managed to get in three more thrusts, before pushing her down onto him so he could climax deep inside her. He threw his head back, closing his eyes and trying to catch his breath.

"Oh Ishwari, I'm so glad you didn't leave." He gasped, before opening his eyes and raising his head so he could place a kiss on her lips.

"I'm glad too. I've never had anything like that before." Ishwari managed to say in between breaths.

Pagan smirked at her. "Ready for round two?"

Ishwari smiled at him and batted her eyelashes. Pagan knew that meant "yes" and wrapped his hands around her thighs, picking her up once again, making his way to the bedroom, shutting the door behind them.


	5. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Ishwari woke to find brown eyes looking down at her. "What are you doing?" She asked.

Pagan was laying beside her with his arm propped up on his pillow, resting his head in his hand. "I'm watching you sleep." He smirked at her.

"Why?" She raised an eyebrow.

He let out a small chuckle. "Because I like watching you sleep. You look so peaceful."

"Well it's weird." She laughed.

"I'm weird" He said looking at her.

"Maybe that's why I'm attracted to you." She reached her hand up to cup his cheek.

"Maybe." He said reaching his hand up to touch the hand she had just placed on his face.

"I left Ajay with Shanna again. I can't keep doing that. I really need to go find her and thank her again." She sat up.

"Sure you can. We can make it her new job." He laughed "If you want we can turn one of the spare rooms into Ajay's bedroom. There's plenty in the palace to choose from. I recommend one close to this room. We can get a baby monitor and everything."

"Do you want me to move down here with you?" She asked.

"Of course I do, Ishwari."

"I don't know if I can do that. It's not really fair to the other maids."

"Ishwari, you're not a maid anymore." He said furrowing his brow.

"I was a maid though. Why should I get to stay in the palace, while the rest of them are up there in that cabin?"

"Because you managed to make your way into my heart."

"That still doesn't change to fact that I'd get to live in this" She waved her arm through the air "And they'd be stuck up there in that shack of a cabin."

Pagan tilted his head to the side. "So what would you like me to do?"

Ishwari shrugged her shoulders. "Well it's like you said, there are plenty of spare rooms in the palace. You would only have to give up six of them, seven if you count the room you just offered Ajay."

Pagan gained a hint of a smile "Is that what you want?"

"Yes" Ishwari nodded.

"Very well." Pagan moved his hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "All you you have to do is ask, and it's yours. Now." He leaned in a placed a kiss on her lips. Barely pulling away he spoke again. "You've made me late once again. I was supposed to leave two hours ago."

"Oh...where are you going today?"

"Business in one of the southern fortresses. But before I go, I need a shower. Would you like to join me?" He smirked at her.

"Do I stink?"

He chuckled "Something fierce"

"Then I might just have to take you up on that offer"

He smiled and pulled the covers off of him, revealing his naked self. He stood up from the bed and strolled into the master bathroom. Ishwari could hear the shower turned on and he soon returned to the door way. "Well? Are you coming?"

She smiled and got out of bed, making her way to him. Upon reaching him, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly. "You're eager."

He placed his hands on her face and pulled her in for yet another kiss. "Remember way back when I said I was late? I was being serious. Come, my sister isn't fond of my new found tardiness and she's frightening when she's pissed."

He lowered his hand down to grab hers and pulled her into the bathroom. This was the first time Ishwari had been inside his personal bathroom. It was almost as big as his bedroom. It had a long counter top to the right of the door that possessed two sinks as well as two square mirror to accompany each one. To the left of the door was a toilet as every bathroom should have one. Next to that was a very large stone wall shower, with glass sliding doors. Then finally in the right corner of the room was a Jacuzzi hot tub. Pagan took notice of Ishwari staring at it. "When we have more time, we'll enjoy ourselves in that." He winked at her. "For now, lets just stick with a shower."

Not having to get undressed they stepped right in, Pagan holding on to her hand as she got in first, so she wouldn't slip. For the past couple months she had been bathing herself in the bath house by the cabin, which of course wasn't all that decorous, and it was nice to be in an actual shower like this one. Having Pagan to herself was a blessing, but she couldn't deny the bonuses that came with him had their perks too. The thought of being able to bathe like this everyday made her smile. Growing up she would have to bathe by boiling some water and giving herself a sponge bath. It wasn't until her and Mohan had moved into their home that she actually got to experience what it was like to take a shower, being that the house came with one, though it wasn't quite as nice as this one.

The warm water rained down over her head and body. She was already starting for feel better from the grime that she knew she had on her. Pagan reached up to a small hook on the wall that was holding a teal pouf bath sponge. Once he had it in his hand, he grabbed a bottle of nearby body wash and squirted some onto in, lathering it in his hands until it became full of suds. Placing the ready sponge at Ishwari's neck he began scrubbing her, working his way down her breasts, to her naval, and then her womanhood. She placed her hands on his shoulders to balance herself as he cleaned her.

She glanced down at his hands doing their work when she noticed his member starting to grow. "Enjoying yourself?" She smiled, not looking away from his area.

Pagan took notice of the location her eyes were looking. "Oh my dear Ishwari, I always enjoy myself with you." before she had time to respond, he grabbed her arm, making her turn around so her back was facing him. "Bend over dear, rest your hands on the wall."

She did as she was told instantly, remembering what he had said about being late. He must had remembered being late also, the moment she placed her hands on the wall, he pressed himself inside her quickly, making her gasp from the unexpected penetration. He placed both his hands on her hips and began pushing in and out of her at a very rapid pace. He only kept up his work for a few minutes, before he began speaking to her.

"Ishwari, please come for me. Come before I do." He panted, never once slowing down with his movements.

"Oh, Pagan. Harder. Please." She cried out with her eyes scrunched shut.

He instantly obeyed and began slamming himself into her as hard as he could. "Oh Ishwari." He moaned in ecstasy as he laid his hand near her shoulder blade and moved it downwards, placing scratches down her back.

The way his hand was giving her pain mixed with pleasure and the way her name rolled off his lips at that moment was enough to make her climax. Pagan also reached his peak at the same time. He held himself inside her for a moment, still trying to steady his breath. Once he got it regulated, he slowly pulled himself free and knelt down to reach the bath sponge, she hadn't noticed he dropped. "Looks like I'm going to have to re-clean you." He smirked at her, as he applied more soap to it.

They finally finished their shower and stepped out. Pagan walked over to the sink counter in which he had placed two clean towels. It was then Ishwari realized that she didn't have any clean clothes. "I don't have anything to wear."

Pagan turned around to look at her and grinned. "Well I guess it's a good thing you look amazing naked."

"I'm serious Pagan. What am I supposed to wear."

"Don't worry dear. I keep t-shirts and night pants in the room. They should fit you, if you don't mind wearing them until you get up to the cabin to get your own clothes." He walked over and handed her a towel.

"I suppose that's my only option." She shrugged.

"Well you should feel privileged. You'll be the first person to ever wear my clothes besides me." He laughed.

He walked out into his room and she followed him to a walk-in closet, which was also rather large. he walked to a set of drawers to the right and opened them pulling out the shirt and pants he just offered her. While she began getting dressed, she observed him walking over to a wall where all of his suits and shirts hung. They were all pretty much the same, other than the colors, pink being the most popular. He decided that blue would be his choice of color today. Quickly he pulled on the pants, then the white button up shirt. He grabbed the matching blazer and walked over to another drawer, pulling out a pair of socks. He grabbed his shoes from a nearby shoe rack and walked back out into the bedroom sitting down in a corner chair so he could put on the socks and shoes he had just retrieved.

When he was finally ready, he stood up and walked over to Ishwari who had already gotten dressed and was observing the way her man prepared himself each day. "I really need to be heading out. Why don't you go find your maid friends and tell them to take the day off, so they can move their belonging down here. Tell them they can have any room they want from the east wing. I prefer to keep this side of the palace to ourselves if you don't mind." He leaned forward and kissed her slowly and deeply on the lips, taking his time and savoring the taste of her. He eventually pulled away, making it obvious that he didn't want to. "I guess I'll see you later this evening then." He place another quick kiss on her lips and turned to head out the door, picking up his blue blazer resting on the chair on his way out.


	6. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Ishwari walked through the palace searching for Shanna. It was already after eight and she would most likely be cleaning her designated area, which around this time was the library. She walked into the massive library, surprised by the hundreds of books. She couldn't believe that she had never been in this room before, especially with her love of literature. Sure enough Shanna was at the far end away from the door, dusting off some shelves. She had a blanket she must have brought down from the cabin with her, spread out on the floor. Ajay was laying on his stomach on the blanket, moving around, showing signs that he would soon be crawling.

"Would you look at my handsome man. You are growing way too fast Ajay." Ishwari said, kneeling down beside her baby.

Shanna turned around at the sound of Ishwari's voice. "Oh, there you are. So, how did things go with Pagan?"

Ishwari stood up and smiled at her friend. "I've decided to stay here and move in the palace with him. And I have some good news for you too."

Shanna raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be."

"Pagan said that you, along with all the other maids and servants are aloud to move into the palace as well. As long as you choose rooms from the east wing. He wants you all to take the day off to move your belongings and get settled in your new rooms."

Shanna's mouth dropped open in shock."He's giving up guest rooms for us?"

"That's right." Ishwari smiled boldly

Shanna couldn't help but smile back at her friend. "King Min would never do anything like that. I'm telling you Ishwari, you've barley been with him and you're already turning him into a better man. Kyrat has hope yet."

"It's weird to imagine him as a bad person." Ishwari tilted her head. "I've never seen the side of him everyone talks about. The only side of Pagan I know is the kind side. Well sort of, he was pretty brutal to the soldier that had me down at the fortress, but at that time I didn't care. That soldier deserved it, and all I could think about was Ajay."

Shanna laughed lightly. "Well with any luck, you won't have to see his angry side again. I personally like kind King Min more."

"Same here." Ishwari giggled.

Ishwari and Shanna walked through the palace finding all the other maids and servants, telling them the good news of being invited to live in the palace. Once everybody was rounded up, they all walked up to the cabins and began packing their belongings. It was a long days work, moving everybody's things, having to make multiple trips to get everything from point a to point b. By the time they were finished it was late in the evening. Ishwari sat in Shanna's new room, laughing and conversing with her about anything and everything. Eventually they both decided that they were wore out from the days work and decided to head to bed early.

Ishwari left Shanna in her new room and began to head down the hallway towards her new room that she shared with the king of Kyrat. Holding Ajay in one arm, she turned the handle on the big golden door and walked through the office, through the wooden doors leading into her new room. She plopped down on the bed, laying on her back, still holding Ajay in her arms. Ajay let out a childish laugh from the way she bounced as she fell onto the bed. She rolled to lay Ajay beside her and started talking to her son, causing him to smile up at her. She watched as Ajay's eyes grew heavier and heavier, before he was completely asleep. Seeing her son sleeping made her eyes also become heavy, and soon she too drifted off.

"Ishwari."

Ishwari slowly opened her eyes to find Pagan sitting on the bed beside her, pushing her hair out of her face with his hand.

She rubbed her eyes "Pagan, I'm sorry."

"For what dear? You should be asleep, it is late after all. Do you mind if I join you? I've had a long day myself."

She looked over to her side at her sleeping son. "I don't have anywhere to put Ajay."

"Just let him sleep with us. I don't mind." He stood up and pulled down the covers so Ishwari could crawl beneath them. Pagan picked Ajay up and laid him down beside his mother. He then turned and walked into his large closet, shortly returning, in nothing but a pair of night pants. He crawled into bed, so that he and Ishwari were on either side of Ajay.

He looked into Ishwari's sleepy eyes. "You two need your rest. I have a surprise for us tomorrow." He smiled, before leaning in to kiss Ishwari, then returning to rest his head on his pillow and falling asleep himself.

Ishwari opened her eyes to daylight and the sound of Ajay crying. She rolled over to find Ajay still laying beside her, but there was no Pagan. She sat up and reached over to grab Ajay. She could almost instantly smell that he needed a diaper change. She rose from the bed and carried him into the bathroom, searching for rags to clean him up with. After looking through a few drawers, she found where the wash cloths were kept. She turned on the hot water and began the diaper changing process.

She had just finished strapping on a new diaper when she heard the open and shut of the bedroom door. Footsteps approached and Pagan appeared in the bathroom doorway. "Ah, splendid, there you are. Did you sleep well?"

"I slept better once you arrived." She smiled at him

He smiled back in return "I'm glad to hear it. Go ahead and finish up what you're doing. I've had the staff prepare a light breakfast for us in the dinning area." He turned on his heal and disappeared into the bedroom.

Ishwari couldn't help but smile as she watched him and quickly finished cleaning up Ajay and walked back into the bedroom where Pagan was sitting on the bed, waiting for her. "Are you finished?"

"Yes." Ishwari nodded.

"Awesome!" Pagan smiled, standing up from the bed. He strutted over to the door, opening it up. "Shall we?"

Ishwari, with Ajay on her hip followed Pagan through the bedroom door into his office and then into the hallway. Pagan led her in the direction of the dinning hall. Once they arrived, he opened the door allowing her to walk in first. Her eyes widened at the massive spread of food that was on the table. There was everything from stacks of pancakes and plates loaded with sausage and bacon, to bowls and bowls of fresh fruit. She could have swore that he said that they would be having a light breakfast. She turned and looked at the king that stood next to her.

He noticed her staring and began to laugh. "My dear Ishwari. I don't expect you to eat it all. I just wanted to make sure you had a selection to choose from." He walked over to one of the many wooden chairs and pulled it out gesturing Ishwari to sit, in which she did. "I apologize for not having a place for Ajay, but I have ordered a high chair to be imported here, along with a crib. If all goes well it should be here this evening, morning the latest." He said as he pushed in the chair.

Ishwari, blushing at the thought of the king of Kyrat going out of his way and ordering furniture for her son. "Oh, you didn't have to do that."

"Oh, nonsense. I won't stand for Ajay to go without things he needs. And you don't have to worry about me spending money for those things. I assure you I can afford it." He stated as he walked over to the head of the table and sat down. "Now, go ahead and eat up, but not too much. I have a meal planned for us later. Just eat enough to hold you over for a couple hours."

Upon finishing breakfast and having a little morning chat, Pagan stood up. "Well now that we have some grub in our stomachs, what do you say we go get ready for this day I have planned."

"What are we doing exactly?" Ishwari asked as she used a napkin to wipe left over mashed banana she was feeding him off his face."

"All in good time dear." He said, offering her his hand. She placed her hand into his and allowed him to help her up. Once she was up on his feet, he lead her outside the dining room doors and towards the direction of the kitchen. "Excuse me?" he shouted into the doorway of the kitchen.

Laqueta soon appeared with a picnic basket that had a neatly folded up blanket resting on top. "King Min." she greeted, bowing her head.

Pagan retrieved the basket from her hand. "Everything I've asked for is in here, correct?"

"Yes King Min." She answered, her head still bowed.

"Okay, continue as you were." Pagan said as he turned to face Ishwari. Laqueta nodded and disappeared back into the kitchen. "Well, I'd say we are ready to go." Ishwari nodded her head, still unsure what she was nodding to. Pagan walked down the hall towards the back doors leading to the courtyard where his helicopter sat. Ishwari's eyes widened at the sight of it. This was the first time she had ever seen a helicopter up close.

"Tavion, will be flying us to our destination today." He smiled down at her.

Ishwari looked up at the king shocked. "Pagan, I've never..."

Pagan started laughing. "Yes, I assumed you've never rode in one before, but don't worry there's a first for everything. I promise you'll be okay, I wouldn't take you in this if I didn't think it was safe." He pulled her closer to the metallic bird. Letting go of her hand he climbed into it, before turning and holding out his hands. "Hand me, Ajay."

Putting all of her trust into Pagan, Ishwari handed her son to him. He turned and pushed Ajay into the pilots arms, who was standing beside him. With both hands free, Pagan offered them to Ishwari, helping her aboard his private owned helicopter. He confiscated Ajay from the pilot and handed him back to Ishwari. Moving towards the seats, he showed Ishwari where she was to sit, helping her strap in, once she was comfortable. After they were safely strapped in, he gave the pilot the signal that they were ready and they took off, heading towards the location of Pagan's surprise he had planned for the only woman he ever truly cared about.


	7. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Ishwari took a shaky breath and pulled her son, whom was sitting on her lap closer to her. She was completely nervous about being so high in the air. She most likely would have had a panic attack, if it weren't for Pagan sitting beside her, holding her hand, assuring her that everything would be fine.

"We're nearly there. You're doing excellent for your first time." He smiled at her.

Ishwari could only smile and nod her head, unable to speak from her fear. She felt relief when she realized Pagan spoke the truth and the helicopter began to descend. Before she knew it they were safely on Kyrati ground. Pagan reached his hand out, placing it under her jaw and ran his thumb across her cheek. He leaned in to place a gentle kiss on her lips. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?" He pulled his face slowly away from hers, smiling and reaching down to undo her seat belt. She stood up with shaky knees and watched Pagan walk over, opening the door of the helicopter and jumped down, before turning to face her. Reaching out his arms, Ishwari handed Ajay down to him and then took his free hand as he helped her out.

Ishwari glanced around at her new surroundings and was astounded at the beauty. They were high up on a cliff, where they could see most of Kyrat below them. In the distance, she could clearly see large Himalayan mountains, white snowy tops at the tip of them. She turned around to find a carved ridge wall of rocks behind her. Next to her there was a huge stone with Kyrati symbols carved into it. There were also stone stairs leading up to what looked like a shrine, with a mani wheel placed next to it. The most beautiful thing that was there a small pond, with hundreds of lily pads in it, that sat just below the shrine.

"I've been informed that this place is called Banashur's Tranquility." Pagan walked up beside Ishwari, still holding Ajay in his arms. "The name fits it. It does have a rather tranquil feel to it."

"I've lived in Kyrat my whole life and I never knew this place existed." She replied, surprised by her own words.

Pagan looked down to smile at her. "It's not all that surprising, being as you have to fly to get up here, that or be very experienced at rock climbing. Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful up here." She said, looking off into the distance at the enormous mountains.

The smile Pagan already had, grew even larger. "I thought you'd like it. I figured it'd be nice to picnic up here and spend some quality time as a family." He looked down at little Ajay, who in return smiled at him. "Anyways, why don't you hold onto dear Ajay, while I go fetch our food." He said, as he handed Ishwari her son. He made his way back towards the helicopter, where the pilot was standing with the picnic basket Laqueta had made earlier. Upon retrieving the basket Pagan returned and led her and Ajay to a nice grassy spot right by the pond. He spread out the teal colored blanket and motioned her to sit down.

Reaching into the basket, Pagan pulled out some bottles of water, two wrapped up sandwiches, apples, and a small container, which he held up. "In this are some banana's I had the staff mash up for Ajay. I assume he's old enough to eat food like this. I don't know much about babies unfortunately."

Ishwari laughed "He's ten months old and yes that's old enough for him to eat food like that."

Pagan tilted his head to the side. "Ten months huh? I'm going to have to start planning for his birthday party before too long."

"Pagan, you really don't have to do anything like that." She informed him.

Pagan began smiling once again. "I know I don't have to, but I want to. I already told you. I will treat Ajay like he's my son."

Ishwari reached out, taking the container from Pagan's hand, so she could begin feeding Ajay. "If we keep doing our activities unprotected, you might just end up with your own son.

"I highly doubt that." Pagan spoke as he picked up his sandwich.

Ishwari furrowed her brow in confusion. "Why do you say that?"

Pagan took a bite of his sandwich before speaking. "Because I'm infertile. Doctors have told me there is little to no chance I will ever have children."

Ishwari's eyes widened at Pagan's surprising statement. "I'm so sorry."

Pagan took another bite of his food. "For what? It's not your fault I can't have kids. Besides, I probably wouldn't be much of a father anyways."

"Well the way you treat Ajay, I think you would make a great father. Mohan has never done anything like this for us before."

"Well Mohan sounds like a real cunt. After all, who sends their wife and son away for an extended period of time?" Pagan said, grabbing his bottle of water.

"The glorious leader of the golden path." Ishwari said rolling eyes at the thought of her husband.

Pagan chuckled. "Well now you have the glorious leader of Kyrat. You know, I think you're into men with power."

"What's wrong with being attracted to power?" She asked him, laughing.

"Not a damn thing." He smiled at her. He then turned his attention to Ajay. "One day, Kyrat will belong to Ajay. I will give it to him, when I grow tired of all this responsibility."

Ishwari couldn't help but smile at the ambition in Pagan's eyes. "You make me happy to think about a future with you."

"If we are going to have a future together, there is something I think you deserve to know about me, that most people don't."

"And what would that be?" Ishwari tilted her head.

"Well it's like I've told you before. I didn't really enjoy my life before Kyrat so I left everything behind, including my name."

"Your name?" Ishwari questioned him.

"Yes. My real name is Gang, but I absolutely despise that name. Yuma, and now you are the only people who know what my real name is."

Ishwari smiled. "I like that name, but if you don't then I promise I won't call you by it."

"I'd appreciate it." He smiled back at her.

They continued chatting until eventually all the food had vanished. They remained at Banashur's Tranquility for a few hours, walking around admiring the view, playing with Ajay and just spending time with one another before deciding that they should probably head back to the palace.

The helicopter landed in the vast area that it was usually parked at, next to the palace. Ishwari grabbed a hold of Pagan's hand, exiting the contraption, not quite as nervous as the first time. She looked out into the distance noticing the sun beginning to sink behind the mountains.

"This day flew by." Pagan spoke, looking out into the distance with her.

Ishwari turned her attention towards him. "I really enjoyed this day."

"As did I." He smiled. "Now, what do you say we head inside and settle down for the night?"

They walked into the kings room, Pagan kicking off his shoes as he entered. "Well it would seem that the clothes I ordered for you have arrived, but Ajay's crib hasn't arrived yet. Hopefully it'll be here in the morning, or there's going to be some trouble." He walked over and retrieved Ajay from Ishwari's hold. "Why don't you go and get a shower dear? I'll keep an eye on Ajay in the meantime."

"Are you sure?" Ishwari asked.

"Absolutely." Pagan said, as he sat down on his massive bed.

"Okay." Ishwari shrugged, making her way to the suitcase that contained all new clothing in it for her, courtesy of Pagan. After finding a nice nighttime gown, she made her way into the bathroom to get cleaned up. It didn't take her long to get her hair clean and rinse off with some soap. Once she was all clean, she exited the bathroom to find a sight that almost completely melted her heart. There on the bed was Pagan, sound asleep, with baby Ajay snuggled up close to his chest. She couldn't help but get an exceptionally wide smile. This was a sight she could get used to.


	8. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Ishwari leaned over the toilet, sitting on her knees on the bathroom floor, emptying last nights dinner into it. The last time she had been this sick was just before she discovered she pregnant with Ajay. She began running the possibility through her mind. It had been six months since she began a relationship with Pagan and within that time period they had been having a lot of unprotected sex, but Pagan's words kept going through her mind. "I'm infertile. I can't have children." Then she though maybe it was all in her head and she just had some kind of stomach virus, but that didn't explain why she was two weeks late on her period.

She felt the gagging urge return and she once more began adding to the toilet. She was so thankful that Pagan wasn't there to see her in that state. Fortunately Pagan had left early in the morning three days ago to go deal with business in one of the southern fortresses. He had informed her that he would be staying down there for a few days and she now was glad he did as the vomiting began the same day he had left.

Once she finally assured herself that she was done being sick, she stood up, grabbing a near by rag to wipe her face off. If she was pregnant, how in the world was she going to tell Pagan? Sure he was an excellent father figure to Ajay, but did he want a child of his own?

She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of Ajay crying on the baby monitor. She exited the room and walked through the office to the hallway and towards the closest room on the right. Ajay was standing up in his crib, instantly placing his arms in the air to be picked up, when he saw his mother enter the room. "Good morning baby." she smiled at him. His tears ceased at the sound of Ishwari's voice. "I bet you're hungry. What do you way we go get some food in your tummy?"

She picked her son up out of the crib and placed him on the floor next to her. He had become very good at walking over the past few months. He held onto his mother hand and walked beside her as they walked down the hall towards the dining area. On the way, they passed by a lobby that Shanna was in, sweeping the floor.

"Hey Shanna! Would you like to join Ajay and I for breakfast?"

Shanna looked up from what she was doing. "You sure it's okay? King Min won't get mad will he?"

Ishwari laughed. "Well for one, he's not here. Second he won't, because I invited you. Besides, I want to talk to you about something."

Shanna shrugged her shoulders "Okay, let's eat."

They entered the dining hall to find the table already filled with food intended for breakfast, the same way it was every morning. Ishwari picked her toddler up, putting him in his highchair. She then place the already finely chopped up fruit in front of him so he could begin eating.

"Where's Pagan at if he's not here?" Shanna asked as she was placing some scrambled eggs onto her plate.

"He had business to take care of in the south. He's actually been away for a few days." Ishwari replied as she sat down with a plate of waffles loaded with strawberries on top.

"Really? I never know if he's here or not. He doesn't usually make himself seen." Shanna said as she took a bite of bacon.

"Yea, he secludes himself in his office, doing paperwork or talking on the phone. He's a busy man." Ishwari laughed.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Shanna questioned.

Ishwari turned to look behind her, as well as around the rest of the room to make sure no one was near to hear her. "I think I might be pregnant."

Shanna's eyes widened at her remark. "Really!?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Pagan told me he wasn't able to have kids, so it makes me question myself."

"He said there's absolutely no way he'd ever have kids?" Shanna asked.

Ishwari shrugged her shoulders. "He said there was a very little chance."

"Well very little chance is still a chance." Shanna smiled. "Does he know yet?"

"No. I'm not sure how I should tell him."

"Just come out and say it. Do you think he'll be excited?" Shanna inquested.

Once again, Ishwari shrugged her shoulders unsure. "I don't know."

"Well at any rate, if you really are pregnant, I'm excited and happy for you. You know how I love babies. Isn't that right Ajay?" She said looking at the boy who's face was now covered in red pieces of strawberry.

"I just hope he feels the same way." Ishwari looked down at her plate.

"Well if he feels the way about the baby, the same way he does about Ajay, then you have nothing to worry about."

"Let's hope so." Ishwari said, taking a sip of her orange juice.

They walked down the hallway, away from the dining room, after finishing breakfast. Shanna decided it'd be best to get back to work and get as much done as possible before quitting time. In the mean time, Ishwari decided to just hang out near her and converse as Shanna worked. Eventually Ajay became fussy and Ishwari had to take him for a walk outside. She loved watching her baby boy play and chase the butterflies that flew around. Vaguely she imagined him running around playing with another child, one that would be his sibling. Ajay would make a great older brother, she thought to herself.

Before she knew it, most of the day had gone and it was dinner time. She made sure she, along with Ajay were satisfied with a full meal before heading to give Ajay a soothing bath. Once her son was all clean she laid him on the the bed in the master room and played with him until he became too tired to keep his eyes open, in which she returned him to his own room that Pagan had renovated to be dinosaur themed, suited for a young boy. She looked over at the t-rex clock that hung on the wall. It was already eight-thirty. She returned to her room and picked up the book she had found in the library that caught her interest.

She had only made it two chapters in when she heard the office door open up. "Just leave it there by the door."

"But King Min, are you sure you don't want me to just carry it on into your room for you?"

"Oh for fuck sake, no. I said leave it here. I'll get it later. Now what I do want you to do is leave, so I can finally have some peace and quiet."

"Yes King Min. I'm sorry."

Ishwari watched anxiously at the bedroom door until it opened and Pagan entered. Instantly he kicked off his shoes and removed the blazer he was wearing, tossing off to the side. He made his way towards Ishwari and sat down next to her, leaning in for a kiss.

"God you have no idea how much I have missed you." He said, placing his hand behind her neck and pulling her in for another kiss.

"You sound like you've had a rough time." Ishwari said, rubbing her nose against his.

"You have no idea how stressed out I am right now. I'd love to go to bed right now, but I still have some things that need attending to. I just wanted to come in and see you before hand."

"You still have stuff to do?" Ishwari said disappointed.

"Just some paperwork that needs my attention. Hopefully only an hours worth. Oh and there's something else that you're probably not going to be too happy about."

"And what would that be?" Ishwari questioned.

"My sister came back with me and will be staying with us for a couple days."

Ishwari instantly rolled her eyes. "Oh, I just love when Yuma is here." She said sarcastically.

Pagan let out a small laugh. "It's only for a couple days, surely you can handle that. Anyways, the sooner I start this paperwork, the sooner I'll be able to join you in bed." He leaned forward and placed, yet another kiss on Ishwari's lips. He then rose from the bed and exited the bedroom doors into his office.

Ishwari plopped backwards onto the pillows. Yuma was here for a couple days and like always those days would be miserable. They would come with dirty looks and her doing everything in her power to keep Pagan busy so he wouldn't have any free time. On top of that Ishwari wanted to bring up the pregnancy issue with Pagan, but she sure as hell didn't want to do it with Yuma around. She must have been working Pagan hard. He really did look stressed out. Ishwari lips formed into a smile and she got up out of bed.

She made her way towards the bedroom doors and opened them to find the king sitting at his desk, already busy with his work. Hearing the door open up caused him to look up at her. "Ishwari? Everything okay."

Smiling at the man she loved, she began walking towards him. "You said you were stressed out. I want to release your stress." She rested her hands on the arms of his chair that he was sitting in and kissed him.

Pagan closed his eyes and accepted the kiss. "Where are you going with this?"

Without saying a word, Ishwari slowly knelt down and placed her hands at the button of his pants, beginning to undo them. Once she had the button free and the zipper down, she reached her hands into his boxers and wrapped her fingers around his hard member. He gasped at her touch. Upon pulling it free from the confinement of his pants, she ran her tongue starting from the base, moving up and licking the tip. Pagan threw his head back, closing his eyes. He moved his hands to run them through her hair when she took his whole manhood into her mouth.

His breathing increased when she began to move her head up and down, giving him the full suction of her mouth. "Ishwari, that feels so good" He managed to say, with his head still thrown back.

She wanted to smile at his words, but found it hard to with her mouth full. She then decided to put her teeth to good use and gently ran them across the skin of his shaft.

His hand gripped a clump of her hair. "Ahhh."

She kept up her work and she could tell Pagan was enjoying every minute of it. Things were going so good, when they heard footsteps and then the handle of the office door begin to turn. Instantly Pagan pushed her underneath the desk, so that she was hidden. Ishwari stopped what she was doing momentarily.

"Do you not know how to knock before you enter a room?" Pagan said aggravated.

"What's your problem?" Ishwari couldn't help but roll her eyes at the sound of Yuma's voice. She was glad she was hidden under the desk away from her.

"I'm just tired." Pagan lied.

Ishwari got the biggest smile and took the King into her mouth once more, being sure to do her best work. Almost instantly Pagan took in a deep breath.

"You okay?" Yuma questioned.

She couldn't tell for sure, but Ishwari was thinking that Pagan placed his face into his hands from the way his word were muffled. "Was there something you wanted?"

"I just wanted to let you know that the American will be here tomorrow." Yuma informed him.

"What time" Pagan asked, words still muffled.

"Early in the morning."

"Anything else?" This time his words were clearly spoken.

"No that's all. I'll go ahead to bed and leave you be. I'll see you in the morning brother." Yuma said, and with that Ishwari could hear the office door close.

Pagan sat still for a moment, waiting for the sound of Yuma's footsteps to disappear. When he knew it was safe, he slid his chair out from the desk, looking down at Ishwari. "You are crueler than I"

She smiled up at him and took him once more into her mouth, causing him to once again throw his head back, this time moving his hips to push himself deeper into her mouth.

After a lot of moaning, Pagan eventually found his release into Ishwari's mouth. She looked up at him, licking her lips after swallowing his seed. Pagan rested his hand on her cheek. "Ishwari, you know how to make a man happy." He pulled her in for a kiss. "To hell with this paperwork. What do you say we head to bed?" Ishwari smiled at his suggestion. Standing up, Pagan scooped Ishwari into his arms and carried her into their bedroom.


	9. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

There was crying. Ishwari opened her eyes and looked over at the baby monitor that sat on the stand next to her. Ajay was up a lot sooner than she had wanted him to be. She turned her head to find the bed empty beside her. Pagan must have got up early to finish the paperwork from last night. She sat up, rubbing her eyes and stretching. She could hear voices coming from the office. Pagan and Yuma's voices were clear, but there was another.

She went to get up from bed and almost instantly felt the sickening feeling in her stomach. She barely made it to the toilet in the bathroom, kneeling down in front of it. She was growing tired of this feeling. She eventually finished up and cleaned off her face before remembering that Ajay was still crying on the monitor. She returned to the room to change into some appropriate clothes. She slowly opened the wooden doors leading into the office, not enjoying the fact that she was disturbing the meeting that Pagan was in. Instantly she caught a glimpse of Yuma, who like always, was giving her a dirty look. Ishwari looked past Yuma to see a tall, well dressed man standing next to her.

"Ishwari dear! Good morning!" Pagan smiled upon standing up and walking over to her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Yes." Ishwari replied, still looking over at the unfamiliar man in the room.

Pagan noticed Ishwari looking at his guest. "Ah, yes! Where are my manners? This is Willis Huntley. He's from America and he has access to better guns for royal soldiers."

Willis made his way to Ishwari, holding out his hand for her to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am."

Ishwari held out her hand, accepting the hand shake. "umm, same to you." She couldn't figure out why Pagan needed the help of an American, but she didn't bother to question it, especially since Yuma was in the room and would go on about how it wasn't any of her business. Unsure of what else she was supposed to say, she turned her attention to Pagan. "I was just going to get Ajay, so we can get some breakfast."

Pagan smiled back at her. "That sounds like a splendid idea. Mr. Huntley would you care to join us for some breakfast."

Willis answered almost immediately. "Breakfast sounds great right about now."

Ishwari looked over towards Yuma, who did not look the slightest bit pleased that their meeting was being cut short.

"Yuma, would you mind showing Mr. Huntley to the dinning hall? Breakfast should already be prepared and on the table. I'm going to walk and help Ishwari with Ajay. We'll meet you in there." Pagan stated as he placed his hand on Ishwari's back and urged her out of the office into the hallway. Yuma and Willis followed into the hall, walking in the opposite direction that Pagan and Ishwari were now headed.

Pagan let out a sigh. "I"m so glad you walked in when you did. I absolutely dread meetings, and Yuma has been making me attend a lot of them lately."

"What for?" Ishwari asked.

Pagan looked over at her. "She thinks we need additional help in the fight against the golden path." Pagan grabbed Ishwari's hand and stopped in the middle of the hall. He raised his hand and placed it on her cheek. "Ishwari, you look pale. Are you feeling okay."

Ishwari widened her eyes, surprised that Pagan had taken notice of her condition. She reached up and took his hand that he had placed on her cheek. "I'm fine. I just haven't been feeling well the past few days."

Pagan furrowed his brow. "I see. I'll have Shanna watch Ajay today then. I want you to rest."

Ishwari didn't bother to protest, knowing that to Pagan there was nothing more important than her and Ajay's health. Agreeing to Pagan's suggestion, they continued down the hall and entered into Ajay's room. Ajay still had tears running down his face, but gained a smile when he saw Pagan, whom he hadn't seen in a few days.

Ajay threw is tiny hands in the air. "Daddy!"

Pagan smiled at the small boy, he claimed to be his son. "There's the prince of Kyrat!" He reached in and picked Ajay up, hugging him tight. Pagan eventually pulled away from Ajay's embrace. "Are you ready for some food?"

Ajay looked at Pagan and giggled. "Yea!"

Pagan smiled at Ajay and then turned his attention to Ishwari. "Well, you heard the boy, lets go get some food."

They walked into the dinning area to find that Yuma and Huntley had already filled their plates and begun eating. Pagan walked over and sat Ajay in his high chair. "Ishwari, you go ahead and get your breakfast. I'll get Ajay's food."

Ishwari watched Pagan and couldn't help but smile. If she was pregnant, Pagan would make a great father. "Thank you."

"Your welcome dear." Pagan said, cutting up a waffle into tiny pieces for Ajay.

Once Pagan had Ajay's plate ready and set in front of him, he made himself a plate and sat down. Ishwari felt slightly out of place, because they decided to continue the meeting. They discussed about payment for the guns that Huntley had promised and expected delivery dates. Since Ishwari wasn't joined in on the conversation, she managed to finish her food before the others. She stood up and walked over to Ajay who was just finishing his meal as well.

Pagan looked over at Ishwari. "Just take him to Shanna and tell her I want her to watch him today. I want you to go and rest dear."

Ishwari nodded. "Okay I will." She picked Ajay up and left the room walking towards a lobby that Shanna should be cleaning around this time of day. Now being child free, Ishwari took advantage of the free time and returned to the room to relax and read more of her book.

She opened her eyes and looked around the room. She must have drifted off while reading. She looked over at the small clock that sat next to the bed stand. It was already two in the afternoon. She couldn't hear any noise coming from the office doors so she assumed that Pagan, Yuma, and Huntley weren't in there. Knowing that she wouldn't be disturbing them, she got out of bed and walked to the office doors, opening them up. Her assumption was right. They were no where in sight. She walked through the office and proceeded through the golden doors that lead into the hallway. Normally she would have gone in search of her son to take him off Shanna's hands, but she decided that another hour wouldn't hurt. She turned and began heading in the direction of the exit, wanting to go outside for some fresh air.

She stepped into the courtyard and took a deep breath. It was just what she needed after being cooped up inside all day. She looked over towards the path that lead up to the servant cabin. She had come along way since when she first got here. It was hard to believe that she went from walking down to the palace every morning and slave away cleaning to living in the palace, spoiled by the king of Kyrat. She walked over to a shady spot under a tree and sat down. She closed her eyes and took in all the sounds of nature, from water flowing in the near by creek to the sounds of birds chirping.

"You seem rather at peace for there being a war going on."

Ishwari opened her eyes to find Mr. Huntley standing in front of her. She couldn't figure out why he was there and not inside with Pagan and Yuma. "It's much more calm up here than it is in the rest of Kyrat. Shouldn't you be in a meeting?"

Willis let out a small chuckle. "Yes I should be in a meeting, but I told them I was going to the restroom, which I was, but I saw you walking down the hallway and I needed to talk to you about something in private."

Ishwari tilted her head to the side. "Why do you need to talk to me? You don't even know me."

Willis smiled at her. "Ah, but I do know you. You're the wife of Mohan Ghale. At least you used to be, doesn't really seem like your his wife anymore."

Ishwari's eyes widened. How does he know about her or her husband. Willis saw the surprise in her eyes and began speaking again. "Listen, I'm going to trust you and tell you my little secret. I'm helping the golden path as well as the royal army."

"Why?" Ishwari questioned.

"Because I don't care who's side I'm on, as long as I benefit from it." Willis explained.

"Is this the reason you needed to talk to me?" Ishwari asked confused.

Willis smiled once again. "Not entirely. I'm looking for something I can't get on my own and I think you can help me get it. In return I will give you anything you want."

"What are you looking for." Ishwari asked.

"Somewhere Pagan Min should have a list of names. Names of other CIA agents that have been helping him unauthorized. He's keeping it hid somewhere, because if those names get out, those people will be prosecuted and he will no longer have their help. It's like I said before, if you help me, I'll help you."

Ishwari shook her head. "Unfortunately for you I already have everything I need, so I'm sorry. I can't help you." She stood up. She was done talking to this two sided CIA agent. "I have to go get my son. You have a good day." As she went to walk past him, he grabbed her arm.

"I understand. I can't force you to help me, but would you at least take this." He held out a business card, giving it to Ishwari. "As long as you keep this little conversation confidential, my offer will remain on the table. And if you do happen to change your mind, my number is on the card. Now if you'd excuse me, I have a meeting to get back to." He turned and without looking back, walked back into the palace.

Ishwari stood there and looked down at the card. Should she tell Pagan about what Willis had said? If she did then the offer would be forever gone, not that she needed it. She sighed and stuck it into the pocket of the skirt she was wearing. Maybe she shouldn't tell him about it, just in case, by some off chance she would need it.

Ishwari met up with Shanna to take Ajay off her hands. She spent the most of the day in the library searching for new books that caught her eye and playing with her son. By the time seven rolled around they headed to the dinning room for dinner. Pagan had already moved his meeting back to his office so it was just her and Ajay eating. After dinner, Ishwari took Ajay to one of the spare bathrooms to give him a bath, so she wouldn't have to walk through the office anymore than she had to. She played with Ajay a little more before she put him to bed for the night.

By the time she made it back to the golden doors that lead into Pagan office it was quiet. She slowly opened the door to find Pagan by himself, reading some paperwork.

"Did your guest leave?" She asked him.

He looked up, his eyes heavy. "Yea, he left a little while ago."

"And Yuma?" Ishwari grumbled.

Pagan let out a small laugh. "She has already went to bed. Don't worry. She's leaving first thing in the morning."

That statement made Ishwari smile. "Good. I have something I need to talk to you about after she leaves. Until then, would you like to come to bed with me?"

Pagan smiled. "That sounds like a fantastic idea." He stood up from his chair and together they walked into the kings bedroom.


	10. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

She felt a soft hand on her forehead, brushing her dark hair out of her faces. Slowly she opened her eyes to look at the nicely dressed man sitting on the edge of the bed next to her. "Good morning." She smiled up at her king.

Pagan returned the smile. "Good morning indeed." He rose from the comfort of the bed and retrieved the tray that sat on the stand next to the bed. It had a plate with eggs, sausage, and toast. There was a glass of orange juice on the side. "How does breakfast in bed sound to you dear?

Ishwari sat up and allowed Pagan to place her breakfast on her lap. She took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of the finely prepared breakfast. Instantly she regretted it. Ever since the vomiting began a few days ago she had been more sensitive to smells. She began feeling queasy. "Pagan, I need you to move this tray."

Pagan tilted his head to the side "What?"

"Pagan move it now. Hurry!" Ishwari commanded before placing her hand up to her mouth.

Pagan quickly obeyed, picking the tray back up with a look of confusion on his face. Ishwari threw the covers off of her the moment she was free and made a run for the bathroom, kneeling on the floor next to the toilet. She felt hands reach down near her face, pulling her hair back, out of the path of her sickness.

"Ishwari, are you okay?" Pagan asked her, his voice full of concern.

Ishwari went to answer but her gag reflex took charge and forced her to add to the toilet. She felt Pagan's free hand rest on her back as he began rubbing it, in attempt to comfort her. She finally managed to control the heaving. With her eyes still watery from her session, she looked up at the man she loved. "Pagan, I think I'm pregnant."

Pagan's eyes widened and his jaw dropped in pure shock. He looked as if he couldn't find his voice. Out of nowhere there was the click of the bedroom door opening. "Brother?" Yuma's voice called out. Ishwari ignored her lovers obnoxious sister and continued to stare at Pagan, who was still caught off guard , his eyes locked with hers.

Yuma appeared in the doorway of the bathroom. "What's going on in here?" She asked, more curious than she needed to be.

Pagan acted as if he didn't even hear his sister speak to him. All he could do was watch Ishwari, unsure of what he was supposed to say.

"Brother?" Yuma interrupted once again.

Finally Pagan snapped out of his trance and looked over at his little sister. "Damn it Yuma! Can't you knock for once in your fucking life!"

Pagan's word must had startled Yuma for the simple fact that he had never spoke to her that way before. "Br...brother. I'm sorry, I just have something to discuss with you before I leave."

"Can't it wait?" Pagan asked frustrated.

Yuma looked over at Ishwari before turning her attention back to Pagan. She began talking in their native tongue. Ishwari watched as Pagan replied back to what ever it was Yuma had said, still talking in their primary language. Eventually Pagan let out a sigh and looked over at Ishwari. "Are you feeling any better Ishwari?"

Ishwari could only nod, now wishing she would have stuck to the plan and waited for Yuma to leave before telling him. Pagan stood up, grabbing on to Ishwari's hand, helping her up also. "Yuma, I need you to go into the office. I'll be in to finish this discussion in a moment."

Yuma immediately listened to her brother, not wanted to upset him more then she already had. With Yuma being absent from the room, Pagan held onto Ishwari's arm and slowly lead her back to the bed. They both sat down and Ishwari looked deep into Pagan's coffee colored eyes, waiting for him to say something.

Finally he spoke. "Are you sure?"

She shook her head. Sure there were symptoms and signs of pregnancy, but there was no way to be sure.

Pagan let out a sigh. "Ishwari, I've told you before. I'm infertile."

"You said there was little chance that you could have children. Pagan that is still a chance. This is the exact same way I felt when I was pregnant with Ajay." She told him.

Pagan, hesitantly nodded his head. "I can have a doctor here as soon as tomorrow morning. Let's not fret on this until we know for sure, okay? In the mean time, just lay down and rest." He stood up from where he was sitting and without another word he made his way towards the office doors, disappearing through them.

Ishwari sat and stared at the doors. What was going through Pagan's mind. He didn't seem angry, but he didn't seem very thrilled either. The way she broke the news to him didn't go exactly as planned. She closed her eyes and thought back to when she had given the news to Mohan about being pregnant with Ajay.

Mohan had smiled. It was the first smile he had gave in a while. "Ishwari this is a great thing!" He exclaimed as he pulled her close, hugging her tightly. He was quick to spread the news that he was going to be a father among the village. Ishwari was pleased to see her husband this way, but it didn't last long. As the months of her pregnancy went by and her belly grew in size, Mohan began having doubts about the kind of world his son would grow up in. That was when he began to become even more obsessed with killing Pagan. He started coming home later and arguing more with her.

Ishwari opened her eyes. Sure she was more grateful than words could say that Ajay was in her life, but his birth in the long run put a strain on her marriage. She looked down and placed a hand on her stomach. What if she really was pregnant and it damaged the relationship she shared with Pagan. She was about to let her tears flow, but managed to hold them back, knowing that crying wasn't going to help matters any. She looked over at the nightstand and picked up the book that sat on it. Pagan was right, there was no need to worry herself about it until they knew for sure.

She was just getting to a good part in her story when she was distracted by Ajay's cry on the monitor next to her. She wasn't quick to move, instead she just sat there and listened to her son. She began to grin. Normally she would be quick to get to him and cease his crying, but right at that moment she enjoyed the sound of it. Ajay was crying because he wanted someone, he was crying because he wanted her. Even though his existence wasn't necessarily the most convenient, it was the most meaningful. Ajay's existence gave her purpose in life, just as the child that may or may not be growing inside her would do the same.

She was just about to get up to tend to her son, when she heard Pagan's voice on the monitor. "Good morning, Ajay my boy." Ajay's crying turned into whimpering. "Everything is okay. Daddy is here now. Do you want something to eat?" Ishwari imagined that Ajay nodded his head to that question. "Okay. Do you want to see mommy first?"

Ishwari closed her book and sat it on the nearby stand. She watched the doors, waiting patiently for her son and Pagan to make an entrance. Sure enough, it wasn't long before the doors opened up and in came little Ajay, Pagan walking right behind him. Ishwari stood up and extended her arm for her son to walk into.

"Mommy!" Ajay smiled brightly.

Ishwari picked up her son and kissed him on his cheek. She then pulled him close to her, hugging him tightly. During the hug, she opened her eyes to see the king of Kyrat standing near, watching them with a forced smile on his face and arms folded.

"How are you feeling, Dear? Any better?"

Ishwari placed Ajay back on the ground and nodded. "Yes, a lot better than I was a couple hours ago."

"That's terrific. I've already arranged for a Doctor to be flown in. She'll be here tomorrow around noon."

Ishwari once again nodded her head. "What about you? How are you feeling." she asked, concerned about what was going through his mind.

Pagan shook his head. "I won't know until tomorrow. In the meantime, what do you say we go have ourselves some brunch?"

Ishwari agreed to his suggestion and followed alongside him down the hall towards the location of their meal, with Ajay toddling beside them, using both his hands to hold onto each of theirs. Ishwari glanced over towards Pagan, who was staring straight ahead as he walked, ignoring everything else. What could he possibly be thinking? Ishwari wondered to herself.

The rest of the day Ishwari spent trying desperately to make it go by as fast as it could. She was eager to find out what the doctor had to say about her situation. She did her usual routine, playing with and taking care of Ajay. Pagan on the other hand spent the majority of his day in his office on the phone.

Ishwari was relieved as she flopped down at the end of the day, onto the mattress of her and Pagan's king sized bed. Having already cleaned up Ajay and laid him down for the night, she was ready for bed herself. She looked over at the bathroom door and could see Pagan standing at the bathroom sink brushing his teeth, wearing nothing but a pair of flannel night pants.

Upon finishing his brushing, Pagan walked into the bedroom smiling at the wore out Ishwari laying on the bed. "You look very tired." He said as he crawled into bed next to her.

Ishwari rolled over on her side and looked at the beautiful man next to her. "I am. Physically and emotionally. I really want to talk about this pregnancy thing."

She barley had time to finish her sentence when Pagan quickly positioned himself on top of her, holding himself up with his hands on either side of her head. "Tomorrow." He smiled at her, before leaning in to kiss her. He pulled away and looked her deep in the eyes. With Pagan being shirtless, Ishwari lifted her hand placing it on the muscles of his chest. The smile he already had grew larger and he reached over towards the nightstand, turning off the light, leaving them together in the dark.

Daylight was what woke Ishwari. She looked over beside her at Pagan who was soundly sleeping. She moved herself closer to him and placed a kiss on his cheek, causing him to slowly open his eyes. "Good morning beautiful. You feeling okay?" he said drowsily

"Better than I have been." She smiled at him.

"That's good news." He said, placing his hand on her face, pulling her in for a kiss.

They returned from their state by the sound of Ajay crying. Pagan rolled over and glanced at the clock. "It's already ten. The doctor will be here in two hours."

Ishwari sighed. "I guess I should have gotten up earlier. I still need to shower."

Pagan smiled at her. "Then go ahead and get your shower, I can get Ajay and we'll just meet you at breakfast."

Ishwari quickly jumped in the shower and began cleaning up. If she was seeing this doctor she probably should at least smell nice, unsure of what she would ask her to do. Truth be told, she wasn't really sure what to expect. Kyrat didn't have any doctors so during her previous pregnancy she went through the whole thing without any assistance from a medical professional. It was actually quite common in her country.

Once she decided she was acceptable, she dressed herself and headed to the dinning hall to meet up with Pagan, who was already enjoying breakfast. "Nice and clean now?"

She nodded at Pagan as she sat at the table, placing fruit on her plate. She was so grateful she skipped the vomiting this morning, for the food tasted much better without that added taste in her mouth. They were just finishing up their meal when one of the royal guards walked into the room. "Sir, Dr. Aida is here."

"Jesus already?" Pagan looked over at the clock that hung on the wall. "She's a hour early."

"She's waiting out in the east lobby, sir." The guard stated formally.

Pagan let out a sigh. "Is it too much for people to show up when they're asked to?" He shook his head and stood up from the table. "Well I guess it can't be helped. Ishwari dear, are you ready?"

Ishwari nodded even though she felt more and more nervous the more she thought about seeing the doctor. Pagan walked over to Ajay and picked him up out of his high chair. "Well? Let's go." he smiled at Ishwari, waving her to follow along.

They made their way towards the lobby,where there stood a tall asian woman, who was dressed very professionally. Dr. Aida immediately noticed Pagan and respectfully bowed her head. "King Min."

Pagan completely ignored her gesture. "This is Ishwari. I expect you to take very good care of her. We've already discussed why you're here. Is there anything you need?"

Dr. Aida raised her head. "We'd do best in a room that's close to a bathroom."

Pagan looked over at Ishwari. "Well then, I say you should go to our bedroom and discuss things there."

Ishwari turned her attention to Dr. Aida. "How long do you think this will take?"

Aida smiled. "It shouldn't take long at all. We're going to take the test and depending on the results I'll discuss any questions you have."

"Okay." Pagan spoke up. "I'll let you two get to it. If you need me I'll be in Ajay's room, playing with him." He leaned forward and gave Ishwari a kiss before heading down the hallway, with little Ajay following behind him.

"Okay well what do you say we get started?" Dr. Aida asked Ishwari smiling at her.

Ishwari stepped out of the office into the hallway with Dr. Aida following behind her. "Thank you so much for all your help." Ishwari said, holding out her hand to shake the doctors.

Aida took Ishwari's offered hand. "I'm glad I could help and congratulations."

"Thank you." Ishwari blushed.

"Just have King Min call me and we'll set up an appointment for check ups. I'd stay longer, but I have other appointments to keep in Hong Kong, so I need to be on my way."

"Yes ma'am. Thank you again." Ishwari thanked again.

Dr. Aida smiled and turned to head towards the exit. Meanwhile Ishwari was walking towards Ajay's room. She arrived and opened the door to find Pagan and Ajay sitting on the floor, playing with plastic T-rex's and triceratops. Instantly Pagan turned his attention towards Ishwari, searching her face for an answer.

Ishwari nodded and Pagan's face gained a smile that was genuinely happy. He stood up and ran towards Ishwari, wrapping his arms around her waist, picking her up off the ground and spun her around. He finally sat her back down and pulled her in tight for a kiss. He then pulled away and looked at her with the biggest smile she had ever seen on him. "You once again have made me the happiest man in the world Ishwari."

Ishwari's eyes began to fill with tears of joy. "You're happy about this?"

"I am more than happy about this. This is a wonderful thing Ishwari." He said, still smiling.

"You didn't seem very happy yesterday." She informed him.

"I told you, I always thought I couldn't have children. I just didn't want to get my hopes up until we knew for sure." He leaned in and kissed her yet again. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to celebrate."

Ishwari smiled at the man that was the father of the baby she had inside of her and hugged him tight.


	11. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"That's it boy! Now hold out your arms, I'm going to toss it back to you!"

Ishwari sat on a near by bench as she watched Pagan and Ajay throw a blue rubber ball back and forth. Those two were bonded as bonded could get. Ajay giggled as the ball bounced off the stony ground, up towards him. Unfortunately he wasn't very skilled at catching it just yet, but the smile on his face showed that he didn't mind.

"Okay, throw it back to me one more time and then we're done for now."

Ajay made a pouting face at the man he believed to be his father, knowing that was Pagan's weakness.

"Fine, fine, fine." Pagan said, throwing his hands in the air as if surrendering. "We'll throw it for a few more minutes, but lunch should be ready and we need to call it quits dear boy, so no more of that sad face. Understood?"

The smile returned to Ajay's face as he picked the ball up off the ground and threw it towards Pagan. Ishwari couldn't help but let out a small laugh. Her son had the king of Kyrat wrapped around his finger.

It was just as Pagan had said and they only continued playing for no more than five minutes. "Okay Ajay. This time for real, we need to go in for lunch. I know I'm famished and I bet your mother is hungry too. After all she's eating for two." Pagan turned his attention towards the now six month pregnant Ishwari.

Ishwari smiled at her love and moved to rise up from the bench. Before she fully had time to stand up, Pagan was already by her side, offering his hand for support. Ever since her pregnancy was confirmed he had become very over protective of her.

"Careful dear. You're carrying precious cargo."

She took his offered hand, using it to pull herself up. "Thank you, but I assure you I don't need help with every little thing." She laughed at him.

"Just making sure you're safe, dear." He turned and looked over to Ajay and motioned his hand so the young boy would follow. "Come. I can smell lunch already."

They sat at the dinning hall table, Pagan at one end, Ishwari at the other with Ajay in his high chair near the middle. They sat as they ate and indulged in small talk. They were only about halfway through their meal when there was a knock at the door. "Come in." Pagan announced formally.

A young man poked his head in the door. It was the new assistant Pagan had hired. Well he hadn't actually hired him. It really came down to the man being able to keep his life as long as he did what ever Pagan asked of him.

"Is there something you need Gary?" Pagan asked, not hiding the annoyance in his voice.

"S-s-sir." The man stuttered nervously. "Lieutenant Yuma is on the phone and wishes to speak with you."

Pagan let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, but would you please excuse me dear." He said as he stood up from the table, exiting the room.

Once Pagan was gone, Ishwari shook her head. She was really enjoying her day with her king. It was just like Yuma to ruin things, and a call from her usually meant that Pagan would have to leave and wouldn't be back until either late or the next morning. She turned her head to look at Ajay, who was looking back at her. "Did you enjoy your play time with daddy?" Ajay smiled and nodded his head.

It wasn't long before the dinning room door opened back up and Pagan stepped in. "Ishwari dear, I'm sorry but..."

"I already know." Ishwari cut him off. "Just go. The sooner you leave, the sooner you can get back."

Pagan walked over to Ishwari and placed his hand under her chin, forcing her to tilt her head up. "Are you mad at me?"

Ishwari looked into his beautiful brown eyes. "I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at Yuma."

"I'm sorry dear. I promise I won't let her keep me until tomorrow. I'll be back by tonight, even if it kills me." He told her, just before placing a kiss on her lips. He then made his way over to Ajay and kissed his head. "See you later kiddo."

Ishwari watched Pagan exit the room once again. Once he had left she sat there in the silence he had left her in, until she heard the roar of his helicopter start up and then disappear.

Ishwari finished up her food and waited for Ajay to finish his. After they had their fill of food, she decided to go in search of Shanna's company. She walked down the steps to the lower storage area, to find Shanna washing up some rags.

Shanna noticed Ishwari and looked up from what she was doing. "Hey there mama!" She said with a smile on her face. "What brings you down here?"

"What? I can't come see my friend every now and then?" Ishwari giggled.

"Fair point." Shanna smiled. "So how's the baby doing?"

"Causing me a lot of back pain, but all in all good." Ishwari said, rubbing her lower back.

"I still can't believe that Pagan had a doctor flown in, with high tech equipment, and you still refuse to let them tell you the sex of the baby." Shanna said shaking her head.

Ishwari laughed. "I want it to be a surprise. Hopefully it's another boy for Ajay to play with, but Pagan wants a girl."

"It's too bad we don't have more doctors here in Kyrat." Shanna began folding some cloth.

"Actually I talked to Pagan about that, having concerns myself." Ishwari said, walking over and helping Shanna fold. "He agreed to fund some potential kyrati to study medicine abroad. He's just waiting to find some motivated students that would appreciate the offer."

"Oh?" Shanna tilted her head to the side. "I'm surprised he's up to something like that."

"He probably would not have even thought about it, if I hadn't brought it up."

"It seems like any good he has in him, comes from you Ishwari." Shanna stacked all the cloth into a neat pile.

"I will admit that I have a positive influence on the man, but he does have good in him, not just from me."

"If you say so." Shanna laughed at her friend. "I'm finishing up early today if you are up for a walk."

"Sure. I certainly enjoy your company and you know how much Ajay likes the outdoors." Ishwari said as she patted her son on the head.

It was nine at night by the time Ishwari finished giving Ajay his daily bath and reading him a bedtime story before he went to sleep. When Ajay's eyes were finally closed and he was officially out for the night, Ishwari let out a sigh of relief. She loved being around her son, but some alone time every now and then was appreciated.

She stood up from the rocking chair that she was sitting in and placed the children's book in which she had been reading from on the nightstand. Quietly closing the door, she walked away from Ajays room and towards her own. She had just reached the golden doors, when she stopped in her tracks, looking down at her round belly. She smiled from the feeling of the child inside her kicking. He or she was definitely going to be a strong baby.

After cleaning up and changing into some suitable night clothes she crawled up under the covers of the massive bed. She was hoping to read more of her latest novel, but lately her pregnancy had really worn her out. She stretched her arm out and flipped off the light on the stand next to her. Being in the dark, she laid her head back on her pillow, closing her eyes, wondering what Pagan was up to at that very moment.

"Ishwari."

Ishwari opened her eyes and saw a hazy Pagan next to her. "Welcome back." She yawned. She rubbed her eyes, assisting them with getting adjusted to the light he had turned on. When she could see clearly she looked up at her love to smile, but stopped. There was something wrong with him and Ishwari could tell. His face gave away that something was troubling him. "Pagan? What's wrong?"

Pagan frowned. "I need you to get dressed. There's something outside that needs taken care of and I can't do it without you."

Ishwari became very concerned. "Pagan, what's going on?"

The king shook his head. "Get dressed."

Ishwari, with Pagan's help, stood up from the bed. Doing as she was told, she put on a pair of elastic pants and grabbed the first shirt she could grab. She slipped on a pair of slippers and took Pagans offered hand, allowing him to lead them out of the room and down the hall towards the exit.

Upon reaching the doors that lead to the outside courtyard he stopped, turning to face her. "Ishwari, I have to warn you that you won't like what you see, but this decision really needs to be up to you."

Ishwari swallowed her fear, worried about what could possibly be going on outside the door. She nodded at her king, knowing that there was no point in questioning him, being as she was about to find out what was causing all this trouble.

Pagan placed his hand on her cheek, pulling her in for a kiss. "No matter what happens, know that you're the only woman i care and will ever care about Ishwari." His word made her even more nervous.

Pagan place his hand on the door knob and opened up the door, allowing them to walk out. Outside, a few feet away from the door, stood Yuma with a bunch of royal soldiers, all gathered in a circle. Ishwari and Pagan approached closer, for a better look. What she saw in the middle of the group of soldiers made her stop breathing.

There, kneeling on the ground, with his hands bound behind his back, was her husband. Mohan.


	12. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

She looked at the man whose arms were bound behind his back, forced to his knees. He had a trail of bright red blood, oozing down his face, coming from a cut above his right eye and an obvious broken nose. His left eye was swollen pretty bad and he had bruises all over him. He barely looked like the same man she had married, but there was no mistaking it. It was her Mohan.

Ishwari, with tears building up in her eyes, moved her head to look at Pagan. She opened her mouth to speak but the words were not there. Pagan could read her like a book and instantly knew what she was trying to say.

"Ishwari, I swear that I did not do this. My soldiers had already had their hands on him by the time I arrived."

"The bastard deserved it." Yuma butted in.

"Yuma..." Pagan gave Yuma a look. His tone informing her that was her only warning.

"I...Ishwari?"

Ishwari turned her attention to Mohan at the sound of her name. Her eyes met with his and for a moment there was relief on his face, but his eyes trailed down to her round stomach and his relief soon turned to bewilderment.

"who did this to you?" His voice was filled with contempt as he started glancing around at all armed soldiers that surrounded him.

"That would be me." Pagan announced, pride seeping into his words.

Mohan eyed the man he hated more than anyone or anything else in this world. Anger filled in his injured eyes. "You foreign bastard! First you steal my country, then you rape my wife!"

Ishwari swallowed knowing this was not something she couldn't hide. "He didn't rape me. He asked me. I agreed to this." Tears were now flowing from her brown eyes. Pagan turned to look at her, surprised that she admitted their affair so willingly.

"What?" Mohan looked at his wife, looking for any sign that her words were filled with lies, but they weren't. Once realizing that she spoke the truth, the rage began to build up inside him. "You traitorous bitch! Do you have any idea what you have done!"

Mohan winced and coughed up a small amount of blood when he received a hard kick to the stomach. After regaining himself he looked up to find Pagan standing directly above him.

"Pagan no!" Ishwari screamed running and grabbing a hold of the kings arm in attempt to pull him away. Her efforts to get Pagan away from her husband were useless, for he stood like a fortress.

Kneeling down, Pagan grasped Mohan's ponytail, forcing the terrorist to look him in the eye. "I could care less if you talk to me like that, but you will never talk to her that way again, especially in front of me." He released Mohan and stood back up, still looking down at the severely injured man. "Now if I had it my way, I would have already killed you myself. Unfortunately you're Ishwari's husband and her opinion matters to me."

Pagan finally decided to acknowledge Ishwari, who was still holding onto his arm. He interrogated her with his glance, waiting for her answer on how she wanted him to handle the situation. Ishwari went to speak, but was interrupted by Mohan mumbling something.

"Do you expect anybody to hear that puny whimpering? Speak up boy!" Pagan ordered at him.

"Where the hell is my son!" Mohan said more clearly, with clenched teeth.

"Your son?" Pagan said, tilting his head to the side, as if confused by the question. "Oh! You must be talking about Ajay! Last time i checked he was my son." Pagan smirked at the now furious Mohan.

It was just enough to push him over the edge, and Mohan stood up and made a bolt for Pagan, but was quickly brought down after a guard took action and knocked him upside the head with the stock of his gun. Pagan looked down at the now unconscious Mohan that laid on the ground before him. "That temper of yours will get you nowhere." Shaking his head at the man, he turned his attention to Ishwari, who couldn't believe what had just happened.

"Ishwari, I need an answer. What do you want me to do?"

Ishwari shook her head. "What did he do? How did you catch him." Ishwari looked down at her comatose husband.

"Well it's like I said, they had already captured him by the time I arrived. Supposedly he had the audacity to rally up a bunch of golden path members and attempt to overtake one of my fortresses." Pagan gained a hint of a smile. "Quite frankly, he was out of his league."

"What happened to all the other golden path?" Ishwari questioned.

Pagan pressed his lips into a hard line and looked down at the golden path leader. "He's the only one who survived, and that's only because he's your husband. Had he been anyone else, he would have already been shot and his body would have been thrown out for wild animals to feast on." Pagan walked over to Ishwari and took hold of her hands. "Because he's your husband, I don't get to make the choice of what to have done with him. I need you to decide and I need you to do it soon, before he wakes back up and we have to go through all this again."

"Pagan, whether you want to believe it or not, he's Ajay's real father." She informed the king.

Pagan nodded his head. "This is why I brought you out here. If this is what you want, then he will not be harmed by me or any man I order."

"What!" Yuma shouted, alerting everyone that she was still there. "Brother, do you not realize who you have? This is the leader of the golden path! We were very fortunate to have him just walk into our hands, and another opportunity like this won't come along again. You can't let him live."

Ishwari looked over at the Asian woman, annoyed with her opinions. Who asked her anyways. Pagan let out a sigh. "Yuma, this isn't something that you get to decide."

Anger building up inside her, Yuma walked over to the brother. "What's happened to you? The brother I know would never let an enemy live. You're becoming soft and it's all because of her!" Pointing her finger at Ishwari, Yuma continued to shout. "All she has to do is look at you and you instantly give in! This bitc..."

"Yuma!" Pagan shouted, cutting off his sister mid sentence. "You had better stop while you're ahead."

Yuma went to say something, but held her tongue, knowing that her brother had a temper of his own. She looked over at Ishwari, giving her the dirtiest look possible. Shaking her head, she pushed past the king and stormed into the palace.

Pagan watched until Yuma disappeared and let out another sigh. "Now where were we?" Pagan let go of Ishwari's hand and stuck his index finger up, as if realizing something. "Ah, yes. I believe we were talking about sparing this terrorists life." He turned and began looking at his royal guards. "Camron?"

"Sir." One of the soldiers spoke up

"This is one of my more trusted men." Pagan said to Ishwari, as he walked over to the heavily armed soldier. "Camron, I would like you to take Mr. Gahle and drop him off about a mile or so away from a village. Preferably one in the south."

"Yes sir." Camron confirmed.

Pagan began making his way back towards Ishwari but stopped and looked back at his Soldier. "Oh, and Camron. No harm is to come to this man, understood?"

"Yes sir."

Pagan walked up to Ishwari and brushed her bangs out of her face. "Would you like to go back inside dear, or do you need more time?"

Ishwari shook her head, looking at her husband. "He was so angry with me."

"As he should be. After all, you're sleeping with his enemy." Pagan placed his hand on her cheek, forcing her to look at him. With his thumb he wiped a tear from her face. "But I promise you, I'm worth it." Pagan reached his arm around her waist. "Come, let's get you inside. I think you deserve some sleep. My guards out here will take care of everything."

Ishwari nodded and took Pagan's lead, walking with him back inside the palace. Once they arrived at the bedroom, Pagan helped her undressed and pulled the blankets down on the bed, allowing her to climb into it. Once settle he crawled in beside her and pulled her close, so that her head was resting on his chest, allowing her to cry there in his embrace, until they both fell asleep.


End file.
